From Cradle to the Grave
by dream witch01
Summary: The unstoppable wheel of fate has started spinning again. Kaname and Zero's destiny intertwines dangerously. And both are unaware of their true identities and dark secrets. When they find out the painful truth, would it change everything between them?
1. Fate Begins to Move

**Disclaimer: **First and foremost, I do not own any of the characters in this story except for the OCs that would be appearing from time to time. I'm only borrowing them for this story. ^^

**A/N: **Hi there to all readers! This was basically done as a request from one of my readers who suggested if I could write a Kaname and Zero pairing this time. Needless to say, I didn't know what to write at all since I've been pretty much doing a Zero and Yuki pairing for a very long time and right now, I still am continuing my unfinished stories. But then, I thought it wasn't a bad idea at all to try it so I assured her that I would make one though I don't know how this one would turn out since it was practically my first time. I tried to incorporate some ideas on how I would set the environment of the story and came up with another unique plot that I think would be a good one. I only hope that you guys would like this and kindly tell me if you like the idea or not…. Anyway, I've been dragging on for quite a while. So let's get started…

Please Read and Review… ^_^ because I need to know whether it would be good to continue on with this new project of mine…

**Summary:** It's no longer time to dream. The unstoppable wheel of fate has started spinning again. The banquet fight has begun. A small storm is starting to brew in this isolated world. They are the game pieces. In order to be victorious, without spilling a single drop of blood, they must again face the darkness they left behind. What was in the eyes of the ones who were fated to die?

Kaname Kuran had decided to be a part of a joint project from both the vampire council and the hunter's association wherein both hunters and vampires would work together in various missions. In an effort to promote coexistence between the two races, several agree to take on the job. He becomes partnered up with Zero Kiryuu who seemed to remain indifferent with him despite the fact that they met each other back at Cross Academy. As their time together passes by, unbeknownst to them, their feelings seem to grow. Despite the fact that Kaname is a vampire and Zero is a hunter. But both are unaware of their true identities and dark secrets. When they find out the truth about each other, would it change everything between them?

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**Chapter One: Fate Begins to Move**

The airship lumbered low overhead, its long, lined belly a dull smear of silvery light in the fog as it reflected the gas lamps of the city beneath. The heavy, ponderous thrum of its engines reverberated through the streets of the southern part of the city, making the grimy windows of the tall, close-packed terraces murmur in complaint. Like some vast, half-seen beast, it passed over the maze of alleys and cobbled walks, too huge to consider the insignificant beings that travelled with them – and finally it moved on, its engines fading to a dull hum, and then gradually to silence.

There was a chill in the air tonight, a cold nip that had crept in from the river and settled into the bones of the city. And of course there was the fog, which laid itself over everything like a gossamer blanket and softened the glow of the black lampposts to a haze. The fog came almost every night in autumn, as much a part of the city as the hansom cabs that rattled around the Town Square or the Marketplace that walked their beats north of the great river. Not to the south, though; not in the Old Town. That was the domain of the mad and the crooked and the things best left unsought of. The good people of the capital knew better than to remain there after the sun had dipped beneath the skyline; not if they valued their necks, anyway.

Footsteps echoed eerily through the silence and the occasional shifting of stones as well as scrunching of glass could be heard. It went on as a certain individual combed through the deserted alleyways. The clouds shifted and this mysterious stranger was illuminated by the moon's pale rays. A young man with silver hair who seemed to look no older than nineteen continued his way deeper into the darkness. His rare amethyst eyes that looked silver at times seemed to bore no hint of emotion whatsoever. He wore a white dress shirt with loose necktie and black vest underneath his knee-length coat which rustled as he treaded on. A glint of light could be seen as his necklace bounced on his chest. On thin leather chord laid a silver cross with mysterious markings.

Zero Kiryuu listened to the quiet left in the wake of the airship. Somewhere distant, a rusty steamer sounded its horn as it made its way up the river. Beyond that, there was nothing but the soft hiss of a nearby gaslight. No footsteps, no voices, and only the dim whiteness at either end of the road, swallowing the cobbles and the weathered stone shops with stern placards above their doorways.

He headed off through the streets, walking warily along the cobbles, eyes and ears alert. Absently, he slid his gun from his coat and held it ready as he walked. Its customized chain making clinking sounds but he wrapped it in one of his hands to stop the faint sounds. The firearm was silver with the words _Bloody Rose _etched in its body. This close to the river, chances were good that he would run into nothing other than what he searched for; but it was dead men who took chances, so his father said. And he should know. He cheated death so many times on so many occasions for the last few years in his messed-up life.

A sound raised out of the murk then – a high gibbering howl, rising to a crescendo and then fading – a cry not human, nor bird or animal. Zero tried to pinpoint its source, but the mist baffled his attempts. But it was close, no doubt about that.

Ever since he arrived in this part of the city, he had begun to feel a faint presence but he couldn't quite identify it at first. But he couldn't mistake that one of those auras was the enemy he was supposed to hunt down. It was quite dangerous doing this alone like his teacher told him but he didn't want to _rely_ on that person. He refused to accept the help of that arrogant pureblood bastard.

He picked up his pace, accelerating to a jog. Down a narrow alley, where the houses leaned inward and no lights burned. He stepped over the slumped body of a vagrant, who lay unconscious in the shadow of a set of stone steps, reeking of rotgut and mumbling to himself as he stirred restlessly, plagued by nightmares. The man was taking his life in his hands, sleeping on the streets in the Old Town, but by the smell and look of him he didn't have much life left anyway. Zero ignored him. This was how life was in this city, and you either held on, or fell by the wayside like that fellow had.

Something had moved at the end of the alley, where it met a narrow thoroughfare. Despite himself, Zero breathed in sharply, his knuckles whitening on the grip of his pistol as he halted. A wolf was poised there, watching him, frozen in the process of crossing the alley entrance. It held his gaze for a moment, amber eyes studying him in the murk; then it slunk away, dismissing him. Evidently, it had recently fed, and was not yet interested in another meal.

He didn't fancy blowing out his cover by using his abilities on the wolf. His aura would instantly alert his enemy of his presence and he would end up chasing after it again. There was no doubt that he was going to be scolded for going of somewhere again but he needed this outlet. After everything else that happened to him, this was the only thing he could do. He couldn't be himself in that place after all. But he couldn't leave it either because he was needed there.

Zero let out his breath softly, relaxing. Wolves were a hazard throughout the city, even north of the water. They were rarer up there, of course, and usually ended up being shot, but while they kept breeding in the Old Town, they'd keep crossing the river at night. Not a few vagrant orphans and painted ladies had fallen victim to the hungry wolves of the city.

He gave it a few moments to be on its way, and then he hurried down the alley and onward. Again, the gibbering, insane cry of his quarry sounded through the fog, very close now. It was going to ground, heading back to its lair.

He's surprised it out near the Town Square. It wasn't the first time it had strayed out of its home territory. Two babies gone missing from their cribs, both the work of the thing he hunted. It was his job to make sure it didn't happen again. Bad enough that a large portion of the city was deadly by night, bad enough that the honest shopkeepers had to hurry back to their homes on the other side of the river before the sun went down; but when the creatures that stalked the streets started roaming beyond the Old Town, it was time to take action.

The noise of his boots was swallowed up by the gently drifting murk as he headed towards the source of the cry. The shops had given way to dereliction by now, and ramshackle stone houses leered at him with broken teeth and jagged eyes. He ran over what he knew of his quarry, preparing for confrontation the way his father and so many others had taught him.

It was a Level End, of that he was sure. As if the missing babies weren't enough, he'd already seen it when he chased it off back at Town Square. They made their lairs in quiet areas, dark and sheltered from the daylight. Usually high up, because they climbed so well and it was safer – lots of escape routes. They never corner themselves. The area around the lair tended to be scattered with rat bodies, which were their staple diet when they couldn't get the blood of a human preferably younger ones. They were scavengers, back-stabbers, and cowards; like weasels to birds' eggs, they preyed on the defenseless young. They'd run if they could, but they'd fight if they had to, and Zero knew better than to underestimate insane vampires of any type.

Contrary to what everyone else believed, he did feel an ounce of regret and sadness for these beings. Those who had been cursed into an existence that lived solely to satisfy their intense need for blood and unable to control that instinct. He didn't know if he would ever get used to doing this but he also knew that granting them death would be their only way to freedom. He had always known that fact.

Zero slowed his pace, looking up at the tumbledown buildings that faded to black and then grey as they rose into the fog. Over there, a grim accountant's building frowned at him. The Level End had fallen silent now. Zero had no doubt that it was close by, but _where?_ His bearing renewed, he struck out in a direct line, across a courtyard flagged with cracked and chipped slabs; and on the other side he halted.

"So this is where you've been hiding," he muttered. He had a habit of talking to himself – or to his quarry – when he was on a hunt alone. It quelled his unease. He was already nineteen, and a vampire hunter. He'd been earning his keep since a long time ago despite the fact that his family had left him a fortune. He was _good._ But the things he hunted were far more dangerous than any animal prey, and only a fool would think of them without fear.

Before him was a tall picture-house, a triangular construction with a blunted nose that nestled in the V between two converging roads. Dark and brooding, it loomed over him like the prow of a ship, for he stood at the tip of the V, and it raised three storey's high. Its lower levels were boarded up entirely and most of its upper windows had been smashed. Once, it had held a cinematograph, a wonder of science that made moving pictures appear, and people from all over the city had flocked to see it. Now it was just another rundown facility that had once been an entertainment for people now lie in ruins and forgotten by time.

It had to be here. It had all the hallmarks of a classic Level End lair. And besides, his intuition crowed at him, you _know_ it's in there. In your blood is the blood of a vampire hunter; isn't that what father always said? You've got the senses just like he had. You just_ know. _He kept all of his senses on high alert as he treaded through the enemies den.

Zero scouted round the exterior of the building, but he could see no obvious way in. Not that it would make much difference to a Level End; they were gifted burglars, with their long, spindly fingers and narrow, skeletal bodies, and a window was as good as a door to them. He tugged at the boards over the entrance, but they held fast. Undeterred, he headed over to the narrow house that nestled in behind the cinema, rubbing shoulders with the grand old building. The lock on the door had long since been broken. He pushed it open cautiously, the muzzle of his gun poking carefully into the darkness that lay beyond.

Nothing stirred.

The room smelled musty, with a faint sickly-sweet edge to it. Zero waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the gloom and then stepped inside without a sound. The Level End would run if it knew he was coming; his only hope of catching it lay in stealth. Quietly, he shut the door, and the chill darkness consumed him.

He chewed his lower lip, senses straining to pick up a noise, a glimpse, anything that might warn him of the insane vampire's presence.

The interior of the room was a mess, he saw. Faint light struggled in through a single filth-streaked window – which miraculously had managed to remain whole – and by it he could spot the half-chewed mangled corpses of rats and a few small dogs, strewn about the room. The smell that hung in the still air was of old blood and dust.

Satisfying himself that the Level End was not in the immediate vicinity, he pushed quietly onwards. The house had only a single downstairs room, with steps leading to the next floor. It had been a humble dwelling even before the dereliction of the Old Town overtook it; now it was crumbling inside and out.

He ascended the steps into the waiting darkness above. Here, ragged cloth curtains had been left hanging over the pair of windows that allowed the muted gaslight glow inside. It was even darker than the last, and smelled of animal – a musky scent that made him gag as he crept up. This one was scattered with boxes and old crates, a hundred hiding-places, any one of which might conceal the quarry he sought. Quietly, quietly, he stepped into the room. The night air seemed to exude menace, a cold deeper than the night chill that slipped through his nostrils and down his throat to cool his heart.

A thump on the ceiling made him lurch in alarm, and he instinctively brought up his gun.

Upstairs. It was on the top floor.

He crossed the room soundlessly, his anti-vampire gun trained on the hatch at the top of a rickety ladder. It seemed a little lighter up there. For a moment, he fancied he saw something flit across the hatchway, but then it was gone, and he was unsure if it had even been there at all.

He pushed down the trepidation in his gut and put one hand to the ladder rung, the wood rough beneath his palms. His weapon aimed up the ladder, he crept slowly, silently, praying that the aged wood would not creak and give him away. Miraculously, it held his weight with ease, making not a sound. Up, up – each step seeming like a mile.

He poked his head out of the hatch, gun peeping out with him. There were few nauseating moments when he expected to be hit from any direction – he was sure to check _up_, as well – but nothing came. Cautiously, he ascended until his head and shoulders were in the room.

It was a bedroom, the same size as the other two floors. A single bed stood aslant against one wall, its bedcovers long disintegrated into a cobweb of frail strands. More pieces of rat and other, less identifiable animals were strewn here and there, but the room was largely empty. Where the window should have been, a great hole gaped in the wall, allowing in soft wisps of fog and the glow from the lamp-posts. Zero clutched his coat tighter to his chest with one hand and climbed into the room. The Level End was not here.

Then what had made the noise?

He stepped over the corpse of something pale and lightly furred, drawing closer to the hole in the wall and ceiling. What could have caused this, he had no idea. Shoddy workmanship, perhaps, was causing the wall to collapse under its own weight? A stray bomb from an airship? Who could say?

"A, so _that_ is how you get in," he muttered.

He looked down. The fog prevented a clear view of the cobbles beneath him, a dozen meters below, but he did not think it would slow his fall very much if he should slip from the ledge.

There was really no question of turning back, however. Not this close. He meant to rid the city of one more insane vampire tonight.

Treading with care, he stepped out on to the ledge, testing its stability by steadily applying his weight until he was certain it would not crumble. His gun in his right hand, his left trailing along the wall from the safety of the hole and began to shuffle along the ledge. To his right, an ocean of fog waited, stirring hungrily. Beneath his feet there was scarcely twenty centimeters of granite and mortar holding him aloft.

It came for him when he was halfway there. So deeply intent was he on keeping from toppling that he was a moment too slow in raising his gun. A dark, scrawny shape, a flash of insane crimson eyes and short, needle-point teeth, and then the roar of his firearm and the terrifying sensation of weightlessness as he knew his balance failed him. For a moment that stretched into eternity, he hung above the fatal plunge to the street below; and then he fell.

His hand snapped out, instinct driving him faster than thought, and before his rational mind had caught up, he had already grabbed the ledge with one hand. The jolt as his shoulder took his weight almost tore his muscles there, but it was enough to make him swing round so that his other hand could grab the ledge too. Before he knew what had happened, he was holding on for his life above the fog-shrouded cobbles.

The Level End sounded its mad gibber as it disappeared into the house once more, knocking something over as it scuttled down the stairs, intent only on escape. Zero barely had time to feel the shock of his brush with death; he was already pulling himself up, cursing, his wiry but strong muscles lifting his light frame with ease. One knee, then another, and he got to his feet, shuffling hurriedly back along the ledge. He drew back the gun by the chain connecting it to his coat as he reached the hole that admitted him back to the upper floor of the ramshackle house. Had he hit the thing? Probably not. But he would not let it run, either.

The scent of his blood came about in the air.

Bright crimson trailed from the cut on his hand when he grabbed the ledge a few moments before. It was pretty deep as some drops fell to the dusty floor. Zero stared at his hand indifferently as he gazed at the wound. This was nothing at all. He sighed as he expanded his senses to track down the vampire that attacked him. In a few moments, he knew where he was headed. The cut in his hand began to heal in an alarming rate and in a few seconds, there was no hint that it was there in the first place. His pale skin was unmarked as always.

His caution forgotten in his haste, he ran across the room and slid down the ladder, blundering through the darkness in pursuit of his target. Down the stairs, towards the door that had been left open in the Level End's wake, he –

A shrieking and something cannoned into him from the side – some howling, whirling thing that scratched and flailed and spat. He yelled in surprise as it bore him to the floor, he struggled beneath its grasp; but it attacked in frenzy, and was too wild to be effective. His left forearm blazed from a deep scratch, and he ached from numerous other bruises that had been inflicted upon him.

He couldn't get his muscles to work as that Level End bore down its weight upon him. His eyes widened in surprise as the insane vampire pinned him down and its long-jagged teeth were nearing his neck. _Crap! Why didn't I feel its presence earlier?_ He thought as he tried to pry the strong vampire of him. He closed his eyes as he tried to tap into that other part of him but before he could do so, he sensed a strong presence. He watched in surprise as the vampire was ripped away from him by a strong force and it crashed to the opposite wall with a sickening crack.

The creature's body fell with a loud thud on the ground and stained the floor crimson with its blood. Just like all vampires, its body would soon turn into dust. Though the duration of time would be different from others of its kind. With its death, it meant that the mission was over. His hunt had just ended.

Zero lay there in stunned surprise as he tried to catch up through the blur of events. He didn't need to look behind him to know who the newcomer was. If it was anything to go by, the aura screamed pureblood in his senses. He didn't really want to know how on earth this vampire knew where he was. If he didn't want to know the answer, he might as well not ask.

The newcomer's long black coat swished as he walked and the silver cross bounced on his wrist. His brown locks fell gracefully on his face and his garnet colored eyes was fixed on him intently. Zero knew instantly that Kaname Kuran was pissed about something.

Zero had known Kuran since way back and he was a pureblood vampire. They didn't get along well at first but somehow, they had grown to tolerate each other as time passed by. They went to the same school back in high school but they were never in the same class since that person was part of the Night Class in Cross Academy. He was a calm and reserved individual. A picture of perfection to other vampires. Still, even if Kaname hid his emotions well, Zero could easily see through him like an open book. And as Zero gazed at his eyes, Kaname was angry at something and knew it was directed at him.

"Kuran," Zero uttered as he stood up and brushed his coat of the dust that settled on it with the struggle. He covered his injured arm with his other hand as he tried to ignore the presence of the pureblood in front of him. He willed that the charms Yagari created for him was working properly as his own blood stained the sleeves of his coat.

He muttered a curse as he realized that it was going to be a painful night. He had been too careless and this was the result. The Level Ends talons were coated with poison and he was scratched pretty badly by it. He could already feel the effects and he willed himself to keep on going until he reached his home and away from Kuran. It wasn't that lethal but the symptom of the poison was pretty painful.

"Losing your touch, Kiryuu. I didn't think you're one to drop down your guard that easily," Kuran inquired as he gazed fixedly at the silver-haired hunter in front of him. He didn't know why but he had become far too attached to this stoic hunter. He also wondered why this hunter was so stubborn and tended to do things recklessly. He didn't want to think about what would've happened if he didn't manage to get here in time. It was enough that he saw that vampire almost sinking its fangs in Kiryuu's neck.

"Just shut it, Kuran. I don't have time for your lectures today," Zero answered back as he walked past Kaname who was staring at him with something akin to concern. He closed his eyes at the ache as he willed himself not to lose consciousness. It was far too risky to be vulnerable like this and he really didn't like that feeling at all. It reminded him of the past. How powerless he was back in those days. Unable to do anything as he lost what was important to him. Yet no matter what he did, he couldn't fight the poison running through his system. He didn't need to show Kuran how weak he was. He really didn't want his vulnerable side to be seen again.

He couldn't afford to go through the same thing. He'd already carried on after those events, and that had been hard enough, he couldn't do it again. His life had already been broken so many times and if it happened once more, he was certain he wouldn't be able to pick up the pieces.

Kaname followed Zero out of the building and saw that the hunter was already having difficulty breathing properly. He knew that it must be because of the Level End's poison. He cursed inwardly as he thought about Zero not taking care of himself properly. He wondered what it was that drove Zero Kiryuu to do things recklessly all the time. It wasn't like him to care about others too much but Zero had been with him for quite some time and right now the hunter was his concern. He only wished he could find out what was wrong with Zero. What darkness he hid in those silvery depths of his eyes?

There was no need for words to be said as the two of them headed out of the building. Zero kept his hand on his wound firmly to hide the fact that just like before his wound was starting to heal in an abnormal rate. He knew that in a few seconds, his skin would not show evidence of what had occurred a few minutes earlier. There was no need for Kuran to know about his secret. He really didn't want to drag the pureblood to his own problems.

_If he values his own life, Kuran would be better off not knowing anything about me,_ Zero thought as he tried to clear his blurring vision. It didn't work and the pain he felt intensified. His vision blurred and all of a sudden he couldn't feel anything and he was slowly swallowed by the darkness. In the haze that settled in his mind, he heard Kuran shouting his name before finally, everything went black.


	2. Obstinate Feelings

**A/N: **hi there to all readers! First of all, thanks a lot for those who reviewed last chapter and encouraged me to continue this new project. I'm very glad that you liked the introduction of this story and I hope you would still join me in the next installments to come. I already have the main plot arranged but I still am thinking about the events in between. By the way, reviews help me decide which stories I would put in my priority list since I have a number of ongoing ones and the top ones are usually the stories that I update on a daily basis… ^_^

Well, I've been going on for some time so let's not keep you guys waiting and here's another chapter of From Cradle to the Grave… I hope you like this one as well…

Please Read and Review… ^_^

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**Chapter Two: Obstinate Feelings**

I want to get away. I want to escape.

_Zero thought over and over as he ran out of the estate that night and headed for the forest along the mansion where he lived in silence for years. He kept on running without any destination in mind and stopped only to catch his breath. After a moment, he saw a lake in the distance whose surface reflected the light of the silver moon. He walked towards the place and stopped by the edge of the lake and watched the tiny ripples of water. He sat there on the grass with his legs drawn up and his chin resting on his knees. His lavender gaze filled with unshed tears._

I live a life of sadness. And not only in the present. In the future, as well. Every waking moment… only sadness awaits me.

_He curled in around himself as he thought about different things. No one could understand what he felt. No one could comfort him; no one else could share his burden. Where is everyone else? Why was he alone in here? He asked that question often yet he knew that no answer would come to him. He kept his gaze on the pitch black lake and the bright silver moon reflected on the water's surface. His heart and mind was a rollercoaster of emotions. He felt that he didn't know what to do anymore._

So many people will suffer because of me. No matter how hard I try to escape… no matter how hard I try to change it… I can't do it.

_He gazed numbly at the waters, he felt like all hope was slowly being extinguished. When did everything start to be like this? He couldn't even remember anymore. It had been far too long. Things weren't supposed to end up this way and he had known that since the day his mother died. If she was here, would things have gone differently? No, there was no use in thinking that way because he could never change the past._

Because I can see it… because I can see the future… because I can see the things I'll do when I grow up, in the far-off future.

_He hated that power; he hated it with all his heart. Why did things have to end up this way? Every time he closed his eyes, he witnessed all the bloodshed and violence he would indulge in the future. He watched as people he loved died in front of his eyes. He bore witness to all that suffering, unable to do anything except watch and feel his heart shatter all at once. Please, don't let things end up this way. He begged as he gazed at the darkened skies._

I hate it. I hate the fact that so many people will suffer because of me. Tell me what to do. Why am I even alive? There's no reason for me to go on living. Tell me. Someone… anyone…

_He was left alone in that mansion with no one to care about and no one to share his memories with. Who was he really? Why was he left here? He didn't need to be the head of the family if he was going to be alone like this for the rest of his life. He didn't want to go back to that cold, dark place. Tears fell down his face as he thought about all the years he spent in that mansion. He didn't need all these things. He just wanted to have someone to be with him, to care for him. Not because he was Zero Kiryuu. But just Zero. A young boy who had lost too much and who searched for happiness he never had. As he gazed at the peaceful lake, he whispered a silent plea as he heard footsteps approach him._

Save me please…

Striking silver strands of moonlight filtered through the gaps of the closed blue drapes, mildly illuminating the darkened room of a certain individual back at his home. The pieces of furniture in this particular room were well-furnished Victorian ones and the floor seemed to be covered by a plush carpet the same color as the curtains. All in all, the place seemed to be built for comfort and relaxation. There was a duvet near the windows whose covers were of some lighter color in a shade of blue and on it lay a silver-haired young man.

Zero slowly opened his eyes as slumber finally left him. He couldn't understand why he was there at first until everything came back to him in a rush. He still had a fever but it wasn't as bad as it was at first when he received the injury. He remembered speaking to Kaname before he lost consciousness. Vaguely, he wondered how long he was out.

He turned his head to the side and saw that a few streaks of moonlight were peaking through the closed curtains. He must've slept for quite long from the looks of it. He didn't feel the need to get up and opted to just lying in bed as he thought about the dream he had. A reminder of the regrets and pains he carried.

Suddenly, he became aware of another presence in the room and realized he wasn't alone. _Was he too out of it to notice that presence?_ He shifted his gaze to the right and saw a man sitting on a chair placed on the side of his bed. This man had unruly, black curls that fell on his neck. He wore an eye patch on one of his eyes. His long leather coat and cowboy hat was draped in the back of the chair. The man was busy looking through a book in his hands but Zero's sudden movement brought his gaze to the bed. He smiled gently as he put the book down and gazed at Zero with his pale blue eye, filled with concern and warmth.

"I see you're finally awake," the man said gruffly as he stood up from the chair and opted to sit down on the side of the bed. He brought his hand to Zero's forehead and checked the young man's temperature. His brows were knitted with concern as he felt the heat still radiating through Zero as the hunter lay down on his bed. "You've worried the hell out of me once again when I saw Kuran carrying you back here unconscious."

"Yagari…" Zero said as he realized that his teacher was in the room with him. He moved to a sitting position as Yagari moved his hand away and settled by his side. He leaned back at the headboard as he willed the slight headache that accompanied his movements to cease as he focused his attention on the older hunter.

"You had a bad dream, huh?" Yagari said as he fixed his sharp gaze on his former pupil and hoped that Zero wouldn't be reckless like this again. He was shocked to find Kuran come back with his pupil who was currently sporting a fever. He was beside with worry after hearing the report from the pureblood but he knew that it was typical of Zero to do things like that.

"Not really…" Zero answered quietly that even if Yagari wasn't a vampire he was able to hear it perfectly. It was a product of many years in his hunting career. Instantly, he knew that it was about what happened in the past and he wished he could have prevented that event from happening. Zero knew what Yagari was thinking about as he noticed _that look_ in his face. It was just like what Cross sometimes directed at him. "What are you doing here?" he asked suddenly as he decided to change the subject. Both of them didn't need to dwell on that past right now.

"You looked pretty bad when Kuran brought you back here yesterday night," Yagari said as he turned his attention back to Zero and shoved those unwanted thoughts aside. He stood up from the bed and walked over to the medicine box in the bathroom. He rummaged through a number of bottles until he found the medicine he was looking for. "I was worried something might happen," he added as he got a glass of water and walked back to the bedroom.

Yagari placed the glass on the bedside table as he took a medicine case from the drawer and took a small white tablet from it. He dropped it in the glass of water and watched as it slowly dissolved. The bright clear liquid was turning to a pale crimson that reminded him of blood. He reached out to hand it over to Zero and busied himself with the other medicine for his pupil's fever.

"I see…" Zero said as he took the medicine from him and drank it instantly with the water. He handed him the empty glass which he placed back in the bedside table. "Things hasn't been going right the past few days and I'm pretty worried about what might happen," he admitted after a while as he remembered that lots of events had been happening all over the city and borders for quite a while now. He then noticed that his coat and shoes were gone and he knew that Yagari must've taken them off while he was asleep. He smiled as he thought that he was still the same even after all these years and he knew that Kaito would agree with him on this one.

"You've been looking very tired these days. Working too hard is bad for your health," Yagari mentioned as he looked him over and noticed how paler Zero looked than usual. He knew that it was partly because of the injury and the other was that he was overworking himself like usual. He knew that Zero was carrying a burden that even he could not imagine but it didn't mean that he would watch Zero go through all of those things alone. "You need to take some time to relax every now and then," he added scoldingly as he fixed him with his stare. Zero was only a child in his eyes no matter what the others may say to him.

"I'm sorry," Zero apologized as he kept his eyes on him and saw Yagari's protective urges making its appearance. He loved that about him but somehow, it could be annoying at times. He really didn't need to be taken care of all the time. "I really didn't want to take this mission but it couldn't be helped at all. There was just no one else at that time and I didn't want to involve Kuran into this problem," he said as he remembered the phone call and how he had tried to think of something. Not wanting to put others into more danger, he decided to dispatch the level end himself.

Yagari sighed as he let the matter slide for now and knew that he would be too nagging if he kept on pushing that topic. He knew that it was Zero's way to cope with his feelings and he hoped that one day he would be free of the chains binding him. _I'm sorry for giving you painful memories. Please don't say you'll do it alone, kid. You finally enjoyed being alive, right? _ That unvoiced question came to him as he watched Zero. He had gotten a bit better since that incident and he was a bit glad that at least, he was living normally again. Even if he told him it was partly his fault, he never blamed him even once.

_I don't care what happened in the past. I don't want him to suffer anymore. I'll be happy if it never happens again._

Yagari stared at the windows as he recalled that time and he shouted at Zero to say it was his fault. That it happened because he wasn't strong enough and that he kept him from reaching her earlier. That if it wasn't for him, Zero would be there to save her. But… he never said anything to him. Zero was just too kind and it hurt him to see those things happen to him. The kid never deserved it. And now, he was doing his utmost to move forward no matter how slow the process was. He could only hope that one day; someone could save him just like how he was trying with all his might.

He knew just how much the Hunter's Association needed Zero and it hurt him to place everything in his pupil's hands. He understood that Zero was strong and intelligent; he was on equal footings with pureblood vampires. But it didn't mean that he was ready to take the entire burden of the association. Frankly, he didn't know what to think about? He didn't know how to keep Zero from getting hurt time and time again because of their weaknesses.

"I think about it even now. I was only thinking of other things at that time…" Zero said bitterly as he looked at the window. His lavender eyes filled with sadness and pain. Yagari suddenly looked up as he heard him speak and felt an ache tug at his heart at the sight of his pupil's pain-filled gaze. "I had no time to worry about other things," he continued as he thought about that time. He didn't want to say these things but he felt a bit lighter as he confessed all this to Yagari. "But… if I had gone home earlier back then… her fate may have been different…" he finished as he closed his eyes at that memory.

No words were needed to be said as Yagari moved from his position and wrapped his arms around Zero. It was just like how Zero used to do whenever someone was suffering. He wanted him to feel that he wasn't alone anymore and that he was always here for him. As well as everyone else and he was sure that Kaname Kuran, that pureblood, also felt the same. It may be too soon for him to hope, but he felt that maybe someone would be able to help Zero overcome this. For now, he was satisfied as he cradled him and comforted him like a father would do to his child. Telling him that it wasn't his fault. It never was and never will be…

Zero was buttoning his shirt after taking a shower as soon as Yagari left a few hours ago. The medicine helped a lot and he was glad he wasn't having that nagging headache anymore. As soon as he finished with his task, he walked over to the curtains and pulled it apart. It was already late in the evening as he watched the grounds.

He never expected to break down like that in front of Yagari but it felt good on his already frayed nerves. A lot of things were happening all at once and he didn't know how to deal with it simultaneously. The relationship with the Vampire Council was still strained as of late and the recent incidents was making things much worse. Even with everyone helping, nothing seemed to change. If only things were simple enough.

He was pulled out of his musings as he heard a knock on the door. He called out and the person entered briskly.

He watched as Kaname Kuran closed the door behind him and stalked towards him. His footsteps making light noises as he walked and the silver bracelet with a cross bounced on his wrist. His brown locks fell gracefully on his face and his garnet colored eyes was fixed on him intently. Zero knew instantly that Kaname Kuran was still angry about something and it reminded him about their last encounter.

Well, Zero knew that he should've expected something like this to happen. It wasn't like Kaname to drop matters so easily. He also knew that this certain pureblood acted differently with him and he thought that maybe it was because he never really treated him the same way as the others. At least, Kaname was showing his true self to him. Zero knew that it might be wrong of him to hide things but there was just some things that Kaname didn't need to know.

_Geez… first Yagari, now Kaname… he really didn't know what to feel about these sudden visits from out of nowhere…_

Kaname stopped in front of Zero and crossed his arms as he tried to calm himself. He knew that being pissed off wouldn't do him any good and lashing out would be worse. He closed his eyes as he tried to rid himself of the built up tension after what happened last night and how Zero almost got himself killed trying to do things alone. Without even thinking, he marched in the direction of Zero's room when he realized that the silver-haired hunter was finally awake.

Now that he was here, he didn't know how to start. It was partly Zero's fault for being reckless and he knew that he wouldn't give one jot if Zero wasn't someone important to him. Why did Zero have to make things harder for him? He sighed angrily as opened his eyes to stare at confused lavender ones. _Couldn't you think of yourself more instead of others?_ Steeling himself for the argument to come, he began to speak.

"The reason you need to do things like these…" Kaname begun seriously as he kept his gaze fixed at Zero. "Whether it's because you are a sinner or some other reason is of no concern to me," he continued a bit coldly as he addressed the impassive individual in front of him. He had known Zero for years yet he wasn't sure about what Zero thought about. He could easily see through other people but this silver-haired individual was a mystery.

"That's so like you, Kuran," Zero said casually as he leaned at the wall beside the window and also kept his gaze trained at Kaname. He didn't know where this conversation was going but he felt that it wouldn't lead to something very good.

"You chose to be like this, right? Keeping that emotionless look on your face while ensuring others don't get too close to you and preventing yourself from getting involved with others…" Kaname said angrily as he glared at the individual in front of him. He knew how Zero was like about things but it didn't make it okay for him. "But you know what? Just then, you were concerned with the people who would get hurt because of the level ends, and you were worried that I would learn about your organization's plight. Not to mention all the things you're doing to prevent a war from happening. I heard all of it from Cross," he continued as though stating a fact and hoped that his message got through to this stubborn hunter.

"I've told you, right? I can't die just yet," Zero said in the same indifferent tone like before but looked away from Kaname as he thought about some things. He knew that Kaname was aware that he was correct about everything he said. It hit a sore spot full on and he didn't want Kaname to see it in his eyes.

Kaname knew exactly what was Zero talking about but it didn't make him feel any better. He knew that sometimes his friend had suicidal tendencies especially when it concerned others. He was worried that Zero could die in that process. He knew that it was a result of what happened in the past and he tried his best to make Zero forget that particular event even he didn't know what it was. He wanted this person to finally be set free from whatever darkness he was in. It was true that all of them had experienced hell in their lives but it wasn't over yet. Life was unfair at times yet it was also something precious.

_The world isn't as cruel as you take it to be._ He remembered telling Zero those words a long time ago and he wondered if he still remembered it. Those words were spoken when they first paired up for a joint operation from both organizations.

"You mean you can't die for yourself. But it's a different story if you were to die for someone else's sake," Kaname retorted heatedly as he stepped forward and grabbed Zero by the collar. He didn't care anymore if he was being harsh or rough. He leaned forward so that they were merely a few inches with each other. "If you'd done nothing back then, someone might've been hurt, or even been killed in the worst case scenario. Yet you protected them. You chose to get involved… with all of us," Kaname whispered in Zero's ear and promptly let him go.

Zero was particularly shocked with Kaname's actions that he was momentarily frozen on the spot. He didn't expect those things and most of all, those words that truly cut through his soul sharper than any blade could. He couldn't even stare at Kaname in the eyes as he leaned heavily on the wall and trying to control himself.

"I… I don't want to make anyone sad because of my involvement with them," Zero said after a while and despite trying to make his tone stronger, those words barely came out as a whisper. He cursed himself for that moment of weakness. He didn't want to argue with Kaname any further but the pureblood was pushing his buttons strongly.

Zero pushed himself of the wall and proceeded to walk away without even waiting for Kaname's response. He didn't think he could handle anymore of this and he just wanted to be left alone to compose himself. Without any backward glance, he passed by Kaname but the latter prevented him from escaping by grabbing his wrist. He turned back and glared at Kaname as he tried to tug his wrist from that grip.

"Don't think you've managed to change the subject," Kaname said angrily as he tightened his grip on Zero's wrist and saw the hunter wincing in pain at the action. He really didn't know why but his emotions were all in a jumble. His calm and composed self was shot through the ground and in here was an emotional pureblood. He didn't want Zero to keep on denying what he said.

"You're hurting me, Kuran. Stop being a bastard and let me go already," Zero stated unemotionally as he ceased his tugging and continued to glare at the pureblood. _Why won't Kaname stop aggravating him already?_ He couldn't take anymore of this and he really didn't need to hear it again.

"I said it just now. It's of no concern to me," Kaname said as he let go of Zero's wrist and watched the latter nursing that hand. He didn't mean to hurt Zero like that but he was just too pissed off to think rationally. He should've taken in to consideration that humans were different from a vampire in some levels especially in their pain tolerance and regeneration.

"That's why you shouldn't bother yourself with me," Zero retorted angrily as he stared at Kaname's eyes. He knew that Kaname didn't mean to do those things but he was pretty angry himself. He heard Kaname sigh and watched as the latter walked towards the door after giving him a final glance.

"I don't care about your past. So…" Kaname begun saying as he gripped the doorknob and addressed his friend. He hated being controlled by his emotions like this but it was the only way he could get his words through to his stubborn friend. He just _needed_ Zero too much and he didn't want to lose an _important person_. "Get a grip and accept your present self already," he finished as he closed the door behind him, hoping that somehow he had done something right instead of making things worse.

Zero could only stare disbelieving at the closed door as he processed all the things Kaname had said to him. It hurt because all of it was true and he didn't know what to think of it. He backed away a couple of steps and slid against the wall. He raised his knee and draped an arm across it before leaning forward. After that argument, he didn't know anything anymore.

"That's… too difficult for me," he whispered to no one in particular as he stayed in that position. Knowing that the others would leave him alone for a while. He truly needed to gather himself and it wasn't like him to be left in pieces like this at all. He was supposed to be strong but somehow, it seemed that it wasn't like that at all. _What is happening to me? I'm not sure of what I want to do…_

Maybe Kaname was right in saying those things. He was making excuses for himself all these time. He had always been treading the same ground since then. Waiting for someone to grab his hand and take him somewhere one day. He gazed upwards as he leaned his head back at the wall and stared at the ceiling. Even if it was difficult, maybe he could just try.

The confrontation would be inevitable in the future but thinking about it all the time wouldn't do him any good. Despite everything else, he felt a bit glad that his friends were worried about him and he realized he had been doing nothing except make them worry about him all the time. He sighed as he thought about those things. He gazed at the sky outside, hoping that their happiness would keep on going for as long as it could. That the nightmare they would soon face wouldn't tear them apart to the point of no return.

_Is there an answer at the end of the nightmare?_

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

The fog was back, filling up the streets as if it had never left, laying its clammy touch upon the stones. The moon, somewhere above, was hidden behind its own layer of cloud, and invisible. The city was still tonight, waiting for the dawn, praying that the things that crept under the cover of the mist would be gone by then. It was bitterly cold, for the temperature had dropped further towards the heart of the winter; frost cracked its way inward from the edges of windows, and there was ice as clear as water where the moisture from the fog had gathered and frozen. The pubs and inns were empty now, and only the distant grind of the factory slit through the quiet.

Irina Woods was hurriedly treading the path that night as someone went after her. She clutched her wounded shoulder which refused to close despite her being a noble vampire. The meeting for the Vampire Council ended a few hours before and she was heading back to her home when an anti-vampire weapon hit her on the arm. Without thinking twice, she ran away, knowing that she had been stripped of her vampire abilities by that blow.

There was no calm for her now. Though the streets were like a grave, there was noise inside her skull. Her blood roared at her from within her head; the hissy, muted rasp of her breath passing in and out was deep and savage; her heart thumped a rapid, thunderous rhythm in her chest.

Somewhere behind her, a vampire hunter was following.

The area around the Town Square was a lunacy of tumbledown alleys, switchbacks, and dead ends. Time had collapsed most of the structures, and the industrious residents had set about rebuilding it with no thought to what went where and how. The houses leaned in on each other, nudging the sky – when it could be seen at all – into a narrow strip between their roof gutters. Lights burned in a few of the windows, blurred smudges of warmth in the chill cloud that had settled over the city.

She ran, her panic making her careless as she flurried through the fog. Every few dozen meters, she glanced over her shoulder at the blank face of the misted street. Once, she fancied that she saw a darting silhouette in the haze behind her, but then the grayness swallowed it up. Lamp posts flashed past her, uncaring, heedless of her plight.

In her head, silence, but for the pounding of her internal workings. She was sealed off from the world outside, the fog dulling her eyes and her hearing long dead from fear.

Something ran into the road in front of her, froze, and ran back to the shelter of the steps where it had come from. A cat, alarmed by this newcomer. She had barely time to notice it before she was suddenly falling, her right leg shooting uncontrollably out at an angle.

_Ice,_ she thought, and then she smacked into the cobbles of the road and her vision exploded with white fireworks.

The pain was not enough to stop her. Whimpering, she pulled herself up, feeling her lip and jaw already beginning to swell. She'd been running down the road rather then the pavement because the cobbles provided better grip for her boot; but even that had not been good enough, this treacherous night.

Looking frantically over her shoulder, she saw someone standing there, his dark shadow just visible in the fog. He was waiting for her to keep running.

With a cry, she threw herself at the door of the nearest house, one with lights in its windows. "Help me!" she called, hammering on the door. "Help me!" She shouted again, the sound muffled in her head.

The mysterious stranger began to walk towards her, approaching slowly, gaining definition with every step he took out of the mist. With a slurred noise of frustration, she ran to another house, pounding on that door too. Perhaps these people thought they were being pestered by a lunatic; perhaps they just did not want to involve themselves. Either way, they pulled the curtains or left the door securely bolted.

She shrieked in fear and looked back at that person, who was calmly walking towards her with the assurance of a cat toying with a mouse. Now she could see that long, wide-bladed knife in his left hand, polished to a gleam.

She ran again, panicked prayers reciting themselves silently on her lips.

_Why was this happening to her?_

For the next few minutes, she was focused only on escape, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, feeling nothing but that single desire. Twice more she fell, but she felt only numbness where bruises and scrapes should be. Her whimpering threw a rabid syncopation over the pounding pulse of her heart and the torrent of blood around her skull. She ran until her chest ached and her muscles seemed leaden, once stopping to hammer on a door and again receiving no answer. The city did not involve itself in the affairs of the doomed. The folk of the Town Square area sat by their fires and stoves, their doors and windows a barrier to what was going on outside, and listened with hardened hearts to her barely coherent screams. To open their doors was to invite trouble, they said to themselves. And besides, who knew what kind of person made such awful sounds?

Finally, exhausted, she slowed her run to a stagger, and leaned against a lamp-post while she fought for breath, her stomach cramping. Tears streaking her face, she looked behind her into the foggy maw of the alleyway, and with a soft moan she saw that _he_ was there, a vampire hunter, still walking as if he had never even had to run to catch her.

_You can't escape me,_ his stride said. _Come and meet my knife._

"Help me," she whispered, and this time it was addressed to no-one, for she knew she was beyond help now.

But at those words, a surge of new energy seemed to flow into her, enough for her to get up and stumble away again, not knowing where she was going or why, only that she could not give up.

She turned the corner into a narrow alley, one that ran into the back yard of a shop. A trellis gate hung open there, separating the end of the alley from the yard. So tired was she that she failed to see the pair of shadows slunk after her, detaching themselves from the darkness of a hole in the wall and following. She did not even hear the low growl that they made. In fact, the first she knew of the wolves was when she felt herself shoved from behind by a great weight, and she toppled forward with a cry, cracking her head on the metal jamb of the gate and finding nothing but blackness thereafter.


	3. Everything Changes

**A/N: **Hi there to all readers! Finally, I'm here for another update to this story. It took quite some time since I've been pretty much busy in my school work for the past few days. I hardly had time to put my ideas into paper as I studied hard for my exams. I only had some free time a few days ago so I've managed to finally put up another chapter after hours of hard work.

Anyway, I'd like to thank those who've added this story to their alerts and favorites list. Also thank you so much for those who reviewed since it really inspired me to keep doing my best for this story. There is still a lot of things bound to happen and some unanswered mysteries that would be revealed in due time. Since I've kept you guys waiting, here's chapter 3… hope you also like this chapter…

Please Read and Review… ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Everything Changes**

_Forbidden things used to take place outside but now, a deeper darkness lurks within the daily lives of good people. You never know when the new person next door to you could become a victim or an assailant. It's natural that the shadows grow darker as the city gets brighter. The darkness of this city grew deeper, and the darkness of the people grew even deeper._

Vampire hunters came in all shapes and sizes. It took a certain something to make a person feel the need to pit themselves against a near-unmatchable foe. For some it was the challenge they craved, the need to excel; for others it was because they believed they were doing a service to the world. Some were motivated by religion, some by vengeance. Some were born into it, some carved their own niche. Some were attracted by money, some by the danger. Almost all of them had their reasons, and even those who seemed normal on the outside nursed secrets within, secrets that made them crave the job that nobody else wanted.

For Kaien Cross, the only reason was because he was just different from normal. That he had the talent to do that kind of job.

Cross sat in his chair behind the desk gravely as he waited for Zero to enter the room. He knew that things had to be settled as soon as possible. Everything has gone out of hand and both the association and council wouldn't be pleased by the development of these recent issues. He knew that things had already hung in the balance and a few incidents more could tip it over the edge.

Members of the Vampire Council were being murdered by an unknown assailant and it wouldn't be too long before the higher-ups would make a move. They knew that this case must be solved as soon as possible. It wouldn't do anyone any good to waste time anymore. Yet, none of them were able to acquire any clues as to who that person is or what that person was planning. But he knew that Zero might know something. There was this certain something in that young hunter that made Cross believe that thought.

"Is there something you need me for, Chairman Cross?" someone said irritatedly as he entered Chairman's office back at the Academy and the newcomer stood in front of the desk with his arms crossed in front of him.

Kaien Cross ran a hand through his long, blonde hair and looked up from his paperwork to gaze at the young hunter standing in front of him. He took in his former student's silver hair and lavender eyes which continued to stared at him impassively. It had always been a wonder for Cross no matter how many times he saw Zero Kiryuu's features. After all, they were quite rare and he only knew one family line with silver hair. He wondered if any person had made a connection there. He also noticed that several piercings adorned one of Zero's ears but surprisingly, it looked good on him nonetheless. _No wonder some girls are crazy about Zero as well,_ he thought amusingly.

But what was intriguing about Zero was that no one could ever read his actions as well as his thoughts that easily and he was always surprising them at every turn of events. As a former vampire hunter, it was the first time he met a person like that.

He frowned as he noticed that Zero looked much paler than usual and there was this tired look in his eyes. He had heard from Touga Yagari about what happened and he realized that the young hunter was still doing something regarding the incidents. He knew that it was important that they settle this mess but he was worried that Zero was overworking himself to the point of exhaustion. All because he wanted to prevent things from getting worse than they already are. It pained him to know that not many could see his former student's kindness.

Zero could not observe in the chairman's features the cheerful and eccentric man everyone was used to seeing. The one who loved to tease his close friends and joke around as usual. There was no twinkle in his eyes as he looked at the only other occupant of the office. His face was solemn and serious. The way he looked now, Zero was reminded why the ex-hunter used to be the one of the famous vampire hunters.

The room was silent as Zero waited for the chairman to start speaking to him.

"Zero, don't you think that Kaname has a right to know?" Cross said gently as he peered through his lenses and gazed at the individual in front of him. "He cares about you as well as this fragile coexistence of ours and I'm sure that he could help you a big deal," he added as he noticed no visible reaction from the young man. He knew that Zero had a job to do and it required him to act in ways not fit for his age. Zero was after all a young man despite everything that he had been through. That was why he couldn't help but irritate the young hunter from time to time just to prompt that individual for reactions other than this inexpressive one.

"I can't do that," Zero said firmly as he sat down on the armchair and looked away from Cross. He turned his attention to the bookshelf on the left side of the room even if it held none of his interest. "Kaname doesn't deserve to get caught up in our problems or my own for that matter. He's already being placed in more danger by doing these missions with me," he continued in the same tone and Zero missed the sad look that Cross sent his way. He

Zero began thinking about how he was too busy thinking about different things that he hadn't the time to pay attention to other important matters. He didn't even have the moment to spare a visit to her nor his parents' graves.

"You can't do this alone, Zero," Cross countered in the same firm tone that made Zero look back at him. He saw a number of emotions flickering in those stormy amethyst depths that he wondered briefly if he could ever handle being in Zero's position.

"Nevertheless, I have to take the chances," Zero uttered as he gazed at the chairman fixedly, his eyes unwavering in their resolve. He noticed that Cross didn't believe his statement at all. He wanted to get out of the room suddenly as he felt his headache from that night returning. He didn't want to have to make Cross more worried about him. It was bad enough that Yagari always insisted to accompany him the past few days because he still hasn't made full recovery. He wondered briefly if he overworked himself again.

"You might die trying, Zero!" Cross exclaimed as he realized how serious Zero was. "I am aware that you're strong but that person is different from everyone you've ever faced," he continued and hoped that Zero would understand his reasoning. He knew that he was being selfish but Zero was needed to make this coexistence possible. It wouldn't do anyone any good if this young hunter was to die now. For him, it was because Zero was like son to him. A son he never had and Cross was sure that Yagari felt that way as well.

"I can't just let him do what he's planning. It's not just about me anymore but everyone else as well," Zero answered calmly.

"Her death wasn't your fault," Cross said solemnly as he removed his eyeglasses and stared fixedly at the young hunter sitting in front of him. Things had changed after all these years and he always looked back at those peaceful times when she was still here. Alive and happy. He knew how the young man felt and he was there to comfort him when she passed away. It was a terrible incident but he knew that they had to move on eventually. _That is not the place he should come or return to. Even if he trapped himself in the ruins of the past, nothing good will come of it._

Zero heard the statement quite clearly and he felt the same gnawing pain in his heart returning just by hearing those words. How many times had Cross said that to him and how many times did he have to deny them? It was far too long since she left but the pain was still there. He knew that because not everything ended that fateful night. On the contrary, it only signaled the beginning and he wouldn't rest until he finds that closure once and for all.

"Don't lie to me! If I had protected her just as I promised her… she would still be here…" Zero trailed off as his indifferent mask shattered upon reliving those words a couple of times in his head. How many times had he tried to forget? To move on? Despite everything he did, he would never be satisfied until he finally delivered his revenge on _that man_.

"You have to move on, Zero. I'm sure that she would also want that from you," Cross said gently as he stood up and walked over to Zero. He laid a hand on the young man's shoulders and tried to offer him some comfort. There was nothing more to be said on his part and he hope that Zero understood the gesture of concern.

_If there is any possible consolation in the tragedy of losing someone we love very much, it's the necessary hope that perhaps it was for the best,_ Cross thought deeply as silence met his statement.

"I always asked myself that once enough time has passed, will this crushing misery disappear. Will I find my own happiness?" Zero told Cross softly as he finally tried to let go of his tightly reined emotions. He didn't need to act like some cold, heartless person who didn't give one jot to anything else except for his job. In Cross' presence, he was only Zero. "I loved her so much, and I was blessed with her love, too. And yet now that she's gone, if I were to forget about her… would that not be betrayal?" he finished as he looked down and his silver locks shielding his eyes from view.

"It would not be, Zero. You know how she was, she would be happy for you," Cross told him with a small smile present on his features as he remembered that young girl who always brought up a smile from everyone's faces even Zero's. "But… overworking yourself like this is not the right way to approach things," he scolded as he tried to shift the subject far from the depressing things.

"I'm sorry," Zero told Cross earnestly and he was glad for the change of subject. Her death was still something he did not want to dwell upon at the moment. "It's just that everything's been going so wrong these days."

"I know. I also feel that way. By the way, how are things back in the Hunter's Association, Zero?" Cross said gravely as he noticed that something was terribly worsening these past few days especially after Irina Wood's untimely death.

"It's very bad, Chairman Cross. If we don't do something immediately… I fear that a war may happen very soon…" Zero said as he gazed back at Cross. His eyes telling the former how serious the situation was. Just then, he felt another onslaught of pain and his hand unconsciously came to his temple. Without waiting for any reply, he turned to leave.

"Skip your meetings for today, Zero. I'll personally send the notice of your absence to the people involved," Cross said with a look of worry etched on his features. Really, Zero was something. He was running around doing his job even when he seemed not to be in good shape. He then noticed that Zero was looking at him with an expression that plainly asked why. "You look paler than usual and I'm guessing you have a mild fever since a few nights ago. I suggest taking a rest so that your condition would get better before the next mission with Kaname."

They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes before Zero sighed and said.

"Fine, I'll be heading directly back to my home then so please stop looking at me like that, Chairman Cross," Zero said as he looked at Cross who was sporting an _I-won't-take-no-for-an-answer_ pout. He then walked off and opened the door but uttered in a low voice, "Hey, what do you think is the most important thing to a half-vampire?" Without waiting for an answer he continued in an indifferent tone, "It's about being neutral in the incident. Humans…vampires… no matter which side he believes in more, he might lose himself in the process. So, he hopes that everyone will be able to co-exist peacefully if possible. It doesn't matter if it's the humans or the vampires…" he finished before leaving and closing the door behind him. Cross could only stare at the door as he thought about what Zero told him a few minutes ago.

Meanwhile, Zero was busy with own thoughts after he left when he heard someone call his name and he looked behind him to a see a man with messy, short brown hair. His bright green eyes looked at him gently and waved for him to come over. Zero sighed as he approached Marco Laforet. A veteran member of the association and a famous hunter at that. Despite being a hunter, that man seemed to get along with everyone else even vampires he got acquainted with during some of his missions.

"So, how are you faring, Zero Kiryuu? I noticed you were injured last time," Marco said in a concerned tone as he gave Zero a look over and smiled as he saw that there was nothing amiss there. The last time he saw the silver-haired young man was a few nights ago and he thought that he was looking pretty bad. Now though, he noticed that everything was a bit different than that time. He was glad that this hunter was feeling much better now.

"Everything's fine now, so don't worry too much," Zero told Marco after a while and he became aware of the files in the other hunter's hands. "Heading out for a mission so soon? I thought that it would be set for another week," he asked as he gestured towards the files and raised an eyebrow in question. It seemed that there were too many mission requests lately.

"Yeah but I'll be going alone this time since my partner's still not here. The location seemed to be back at the underground sewage system," Marco answered as he browsed to the files again and looked at Zero. "Don't you feel that the number of disasters seems to have gone up lately?" he asked suddenly as he stared at the mysterious amethyst eyes Zero possessed. A gaze that seemed to penetrate to his soul and held a knowing look into it. Just how much did this young man know that he didn't?

"Yeah, the frequency of level ends appearing seems to have increased," Zero told him impassively. Looks like he wasn't the only one who noticed the weird events going around lately.

"Well. Let's leave it at that. I have to talk to Kaien Cross about something," Marco said cheerfully as he walked away with a wave of his hand. Zero sighed as he looked at Marco and wondered how that guy could be so easygoing with that kind of mission. That place reminded him of that time. He was sure that everyone could still remember it even after all these years. With that done, he headed back to his task and continued down the hallway.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

A few days later, Zero looked over the town from the window of the inn and saw that everything seemed to be far too normal than he expected. The market was alive with the endless chatter of countless individuals up from their morning activities. Everyone was busy with their own lives and none of them seemed to notice that there may be some level ends hiding on this particular town. It may seem peaceful around here but in his point of view, it was pretty abnormal. His intuition told him that there was something going on around in this place.

They had arrived in the middle of the night in this quiet town and promptly booked a place to stay for the duration of their mission. There was nothing weird going on last night and he couldn't sense the presence of a level end around the vicinity. Still, it didn't mean anything at all. It was just impossible for this case to be an accident or a mistake. He sighed as he thought that the best plan they could take would be to go around the town and investigate. As much as he hated going around in the middle of the day, it couldn't be helped at all. It wasn't like the sun would do him much harm but it was a bit uncomfortable for him the past few days.

He closed the curtains as he moved away and headed for the bedroom he shared with Kaname. It had been early morning but he was still feeling drowsy from the long travel. He saw that Kaname was busy reading something in the town's newspaper while drinking tea. Zero collapsed on the other bed and draped an arm over his eyes. Both of them didn't get much sleep last night so they were a bit tired than usual. And he knew that it wouldn't help the mission in the slightest bit.

Kaname looked up from the paper he was reading and placed the cup on the bedside table as he shifted his gaze to Zero. He knew that the silver-haired young man was still recovering from his fever and it didn't help that he was on this mission at all. Maybe it was a good decision for him to come after all. He knew that Zero usually didn't take care of himself much and usually overworked himself to the point of exhaustion. That part of him hasn't changed all these years. He knew that because back in the academy, he noticed that this particular young man was always doing something for the school. Be it school events, functions, or taking over prefect duties.

His garnet eyes softened as he looked upon his partner. Despite all that happened in the past few years, Zero was still that caring and kind person he met many years ago. He knew that the latter was cold and impassive at times. Yet it was pretty normal for hunters or vampires to act that way. Aside from that, Zero always tolerated his presence despite their status and he was glad of the normal conversations they had from time to time. With Zero, he was just Kaname and nothing more. He only wished that someday, Zero would finally be free from whatever_ darkness _binding him.

"Is there something wrong?" Zero asked as he gazed at Kaname with his lavender orbs. He had noticed that Kaname was staring at him for quite a while now and it unnerved him a little. He knew that it was something regarding him in general since Kaito or Yagari sometimes looked at him that way as well. He felt torn between irritation and amusement as he saw that look on Kaname as well. _Does everyone else have to stare at me like that?_ In the end, he settled for amusement. "It's pretty rare to see you of all people space out like that, Kuran," Zero said a while later as he shifted his gaze to the ceiling. He really wished that life could be this peaceful but sadly, that wasn't the case. Not when he still had to deal with his unresolved issues.

"I am _not_ spacing out," Kaname said indignantly as he folded the paper next to the empty cup. "I was only thinking of some important things and I'm sure that you wouldn't care to know," he continued as he stood up from his own bed and sat down next to Zero who gazed at him questioningly. He placed a hand on Zero's forehead to check his temperature and he felt that the latter was still running a mild fever. It was to be expected since he was poisoned by a powerful level end and usually its effects go away after a week. _Why did Zero always push himself like this?_ "You should sleep for a while you know, resting would bring down your fever," Kaname said gently as he removed his hand.

"Sometimes you act just like Cross. I'm already feeling fine," Zero said as he stared at Kaname who was still sitting beside him. In actuality, he did feel a bit off today but he wasn't going to let Kaname know that. After a while, Zero sighed deeply as he saw that Kaname wouldn't budge until he complied. "_Okay, fine_. I'll sleep it off if that makes you happy," he said exasperatedly as he rolled his eyes at the pureblood. This was a part of Kaname that irritated him at times. Did that guy really have to make a big deal out of something like this?

"I'll wake you up later on if that's what you want," Kaname said gently as he offered Zero a smile before standing up and walking back to his own bed. Despite all the arguments here and there, they got along quite well. This was just a daily routine to the both of them and Kaname hoped that it would stay that way. Zero was important to him and he would do anything not to lose him too. He couldn't let Zero die as well. _He would never let anyone take him away no matter what may happen in the future._

"Anyway, since we're on this topic. Shouldn't you be resting as well?" Zero asked as he shifted on his bed and spread the covers around him. It wasn't fair for Kaname to imply that he always overworked himself when the former always does it as well. He could see that the pureblood was tired though not as bad as he was. Still, he knew that Kaname needed to rest too. He gave the garnet-eyed pureblood one last look as he turned around on his bed and closed his eyes.

"Very well, Kiryuu," Kaname said with a hint of amusement as he also lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling of the room. Well, this was a typical Zero behavior. He cares about others but never did show it openly most of the time. He smiled at that thought before turning serious as his thoughts shifted. If it was him, he would never have allowed Zero on this mission and he felt a bit irritated at the president of the Hunter's Association for giving Zero this mission. It was clearly obvious that Zero hadn't rested as he was supposed to and had been running around doing something he wasn't aware of. He knew that it was his protective tendencies rearing again but he couldn't help it. _ Despite the hunter not being aware of it, Zero had saved him from his darkness and the loneliness he felt all those years ago and this time he wanted to be the one to save him. _

He gazed at the hunter's back and heard his even breathing. Kaname knew instantly that Zero was fast asleep already. He returned back to his previous thoughts and wondered if Zero's acquaintances also felt that way. They needed to succeed or else they'll truly lose him for good. Something he would never allow to happen. Having that feeling once was enough and he never wanted to experience it again. All of them had lost far too much all these years and even right now, there was still that unresolved issue threatening to tear them apart. _Please don't let anyone kill you, Zero. Don't lose that will to live._ Kaname thought desperately as he closed his eyes. A few minutes later, he fell into his much needed rest.

_It was a scene I had seen before. It was an evening hazed in heavy rain. _

_The mansion was quiet and the sound of footsteps echoed eerily in the silence that pervaded the whole place. The emptiness he felt as he walked inside was constricting and he felt those things tug at his heart. It wasn't fair for her at all. He wanted to curse the unfairness of all that happened to her. As the rain pattered through the glass windows, he felt that it was truly the best weather to describe what everyone felt in this instant. It was as if the skies were crying for her too._

_Drowning in the sadness of losing someone important, and frightened at the fate that has befallen her._

_He entered the room and watched her as she clutched a picture frame in her chest. Her back was turned towards the door and despite his eyes being used to see clearly in the gloom; he couldn't see her in that dark, lonely void he knew was called grief. He wanted to comfort her but somehow, the words died in his throat. He could do nothing but stand there as he heard her crying softly. Her tears the clear evidence of her crushing misery. Her form hunched in that corner and looking so fragile and lost. _

_Unable to do anything, able only to cry and bear the cold passing of time. She reminded me of what I was like many years ago._

_He could only approach her and wrap his arms around her sobbing form. Hoping that somehow he could share her pain and spare her from this agony. A young girl who didn't deserve what happened and who would now be faced with a huge responsibility. He pitied her and more than that, he was worried about her. She was like a family to him and he promised to himself that he would protect her. Always…_

The fading afternoon light coming in from the windows tugged Zero into awareness as he slowly opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling of the room he was currently staying in. He placed his hands on his eyes and felt the remnants of tears on his cheeks. He was surprised to see them in the very least and he wiped them away as he sat up from the bed. _Must be because of the recent dream._ He thought as he looked around the room and saw that he was indeed alone. Even if he felt none of the emotions this moment, that dream reminded him a lot of things.

He had never thought about it much these past few years just like the other painful events in his life but somehow, he wondered why all of it was coming back now. Why not years ago? He felt as if something terrible was going to happen soon and he knew better than to ignore those feelings. He placed one of his hands in his chest and breathed deeply, intent on calming himself down. He realized that it was no use to keep on worrying about things like these. Whatever the future may bring, they only had to be prepared to face it.

"I see that you're finally awake, Kiryuu," Kaname said as he entered the room and stared at Zero who was sitting up on his bed, seemingly in some deep thought. He had debated on himself about waking up the hunter a few hours ago but decided against it. Zero seemed to need his rest and he wasn't going to deprive him of it. The investigation could wait for some time and it wasn't as if anything would happen this soon.

"I'm assuming you've already gone around the town a few hours ago," Zero said as he gazed at the fading light outside the window. He must have been out for quite some time for the day to pass by like this. Maybe he really did push himself too much this time around. No wonder everyone else was worried about him. He sighed in defeat as he realized that fact and turned around to face Kaname.

"I had nothing else to do while you were resting," Kaname said lightly as he stood in front of the window and gazed at the seemingly busy street outside. "Nothing much happened so there's nothing to worry about," he continued as he kept his back on Zero and focused on the people outside. He was trying to track down any unusual presence outside but it seemed there was none just like before. Did they finally reach a dead end?

"You could've at least woken me up earlier, Kuran," Zero said irritatedly as he stood up from the bed and stretched his hands. He decided to think about that dream for later on and try focusing on the mission instead. "Anyway, I'm going out for a walk. Anything you need?" Zero offered as he picked up his coat from the chair and shrugged it on. He also grabbed Bloody Rose and placed it inside the coat pocket as paused in front of the door, waiting for Kaname's reply.

"No, it's fine. I'll see you later then," Kaname said as he turned his gaze to Zero and communicated his previous thoughts without saying anything. Maybe Zero might be able to pick something up in his walk. Despite not liking the fact that his partner would go somewhere again, he knew better than to stop him. This was a source of numerous arguments in the past and he had enough of that so he opted to just let him go. It wasn't like anything would happen here and Zero looked better than before.

Zero nodded his response as he understood the silent message Kaname gave him. He knew now that things weren't looking good in their end and he might as well do something about it. He put on the brown Gatsby cap he wore usually wore during a mission as he finally headed out of the room. In a town like this, it wasn't really good to attract too much attention and he knew that his coloring would definitely do that. Silver hair and lavender eyes were pretty unusual as told to him by some of his co-workers.

He closed the door behind him and hid his presence as he made his way down the hallway. He turned around the corner and headed for the stairs, giving a nod to the manager before heading out into the streets.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

A new morning, and Touga Yagari found himself adding another pin to the great map of the capital that hung on the wall of the office he shared with Kaien Cross at the Headquarters.

He sat down at his teak desk and rested his cheek on his fist, looking at the map. The slatted windows let in the bright sunlight, turning drifting motes of dust into miniature suns as they meandered through the air. The office was neither tidy nor cluttered but a point in-between. Made predominantly of wood paneling, it had the feel of a university professor's study or a librarian's hideaway rather than a place for police work. A stout door separated Yagari from the rest of the building, where endless in-and-out of hunters, trainees, alarms and reports and emergencies went on. Here, in his office, it was peaceful, and he got up and walked over to the window, where he peered out of the slats at the crowded skyline of the city, basking lazily in the brightness – if not the heat – of the day.

His eye roamed over the spires and domes of the tall churches, the grim brows of the factories and the tumbledown workhouses, the narrow chimneys that thrust up towards the sky, and he was struck by a sudden feeling of affection for this city and its people. It was a warm glow, a strange love for the place that had cradled him his whole life.

Standing there, looking out, he felt that he was on the verge of something profound, a new inner revelation that might change his character, make him a wiser man.

The moment, if it ever would have come, was destroyed by Cross as he twisted the doorknob noisily and strode in, his eyes on a sheaf of reports in his hand.

"Morning, Touga," he said, without looking up.

"Kaien Cross," he replied politely, smothering his annoyance at being interrupted before this moment of insight.

Cross put down the papers and looked over at him. Then, he turned his attention to the office and shot his friend an apologetic look. Yagari was a stickler for tidiness. The mess of their shared office was almost entirely Cross' fault, but Yagari was sometimes too well-mannered to reproach him about it. Especially if things were turning out to be on the bad side. "I have something important to tell you," Cross said gravely as he stared intently at his friend. "And I have to warn you. You wouldn't like what you're going to hear."

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

Marco Laforet treaded the path cautiously as he probed the surroundings with his senses. He had encountered a bunch of level ends along the way and dispatched them easily. But there was still another one in here somewhere. He couldn't get a reading on its type and he wondered briefly how it happened. He reloaded his gun as he pressed himself against the wall and moved stealthily down the passage leading deeper into the sewers.

The occasional dripping of water from the ceilings and the smell that hung over the place pervaded his senses. He truly hated doing work in a place like this but it was important to find out what the hell was going on. He leveled his gun as he walked along the edge of the wall and regulated his breathing. He needed to stay calm. Panicking and rushing would only hamper his movements.

He reached a wide entryway and realized with a start that the level end's presence disappeared in an instant. He cursed momentarily as he tried to track it down but to no avail. He looked around him but nothing seemed to be amiss. It made him wish that there was a vampire around to help him now. After all, their senses were stronger than hunter ones. He sighed as he decided to go back but stopped when he heard a familiar voice.

"Though decayed into the witch or traitor, even I still have a heart," the woman's soft voice echoed through the passage. "My passion for him, my true, pure-hearted love. I swear…" the voice continued and Marco stood in shock at the revelation it brought. After all these years, she was still carrying that burden. "This world that he hated, this world that stole his future… yes… I shall destroy it with my own hands," she declared with venom in her voice.

"I think it was sad and that you were in pain… and I think you became filled with hate… but…!" Marco reasoned as he looked all around him to find her. Despite everything else, he believed that there was still a chance for her. "What you're doing right now… is the same thing as the one who led him to his death. It's something you're not supposed to do!" he told the voice as he cocked the hammer in case his reasoning didn't work.

"I am simply doing what has been done to me. I will transform everything of this world… the world that put me through hell, into hell. That's revenge!" the voice told him as it reverberated all around the passage. The voice filled with hate and anguish. The one person who betrayed everyone and sank deep into the darkness.

Marco pitied her even after all the sins she had committed. After all, how long had he known her? There was no denying that she had changed but despite that, she was still that girl deep inside. He knew now whose presence it was. It was hers. She who had sold her soul all for the sake of revenge. A talented girl who lost her future that fateful night.

"Don't tell me you're the one behind the killings of the members of the Vampire Council?" Marco asked as he kept his hand on the pocket where he hid the tape recorder and he was met with laughter at that question.

"Don't make me laugh, Marco. As if I would do something like that," the voice answered in an amused tone. "Someone else is moving in the shadows but that's all I know. I can tell you that not even your talented president could do anything to stop this war from taking place. This inevitable future cannot be changed."

"How can you be sure of that?" Marco uttered as he took out his hand from his pocket and readying himself for what was coming.

"Because that man is involved," she answered simply.

He fired his gun in quick succession as a figure rushed towards him. He avoided as a flash of silver from the weapon she carried shone briefly. As he fired, he heard the echoing sounds of metal hitting each other. He gritted his teeth in frustration as he sidestepped and avoided another blow. She moved too fast for his eyes and he could only rely on his senses this time. He quickly reloaded his gun and run for cover as another slash of the halberd came his way.

He panted heavily as he leaned on a pillar and heard the steady sound of her footsteps heading his way. He breathed deeply and steeled himself as he went out his hiding place and fired another volley of shots. She avoided the barrage and he predicted it instantly. Throwing a dagger in her direction but she deflected it with a quick swipe of the halberd's handle. He knew he was at a disadvantage. She was just too good.

Marco saw her move instantly and he gripped the dagger from his belt in preparation. The blade came up at him in a deadly arc and he blocked it easily with his dagger. He smiled grimly as he remembered the times he sparred with Zero Kiryuu and he knew that even if she was pretty good, that person was still the best in using swords. Looks like sparring with that guy seemed to pay off. He fired his gun and she backed away a couple of steps. Blood dripping through her side from the wound.

Yet despite that, she seemed to pay no attention to it as she rushed again and he managed to avoid it. It didn't even affect her at all and she still fought with vigor while he was getting tired from all of this. _How the hell did that happen?_ He didn't think he would win like this but he had to try. As a member of the association, this was his duty.

His eyes shone with determination as he fired at her once more and rushed at her with his dagger. He swung left and right, up and down, as he focused all of his senses on her. _Don't hesitate. Don't be afraid. Don't give her a chance to find an opening._

He continued on like that but as he slashed through with his dagger, she disappeared in an instant. He didn't even notice as she vanished from sight and reappeared right behind him. He tried to turn around to meet her but he was too late.

A searing pain spread throughout his back as the weapon slashed at his form. He felt like he was ripped to pieces as he staggered to his feet and fired at her again. She jumped away as he slumped against the wall. He dropped his gun and dagger instantly as he found that his hands couldn't hold their weight anymore. He closed his eyes in pain as he slid through the wall, leaving a wake of crimson blood splattered against it. He opened them instantly as he heard her approach.

Marco gazed at her form and wondered if this was the end. She was bathed in the darkness but her eyes shone like fire in the darkness. There was neither hint of remorse nor any emotion on them except for that deep hate. How could these things happen? He only wished that the others would remain safe. _I'm sorry, everyone._ He thought as all hope of surviving left him in an instant.

"I told you people to give up already… didn't I?" the woman said tonelessly as she brought down her blade upon Marco. Blood scattered all around her and she didn't even flinch as some drops stained her face. Marco's body slumped through the floor as she walked away. His empty green eyes staring at her fading form.

_Yes. This was her revenge. Everyone who would get in her way would die by her hands._


	4. Nature and Regret

**A/N: **once again, thank you for all those who've reviewed the last chapter. Finally, I was able to put up another one earlier than I planned. I didn't think I would be able to update since school had been quite hectic these past few days. There had been so much going on and I was a bit focused on my studies. Anyway, I've been dragging on about this… so here's another chapter… I hope you like it… ^_^

Please Read and Review… ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Nature and Regret**

The sun was beginning to set and the sky looked golden in the fading light. In a few minutes time, night would finally arrive and danger would be lurking in every corner. Still, there were still a lot of people around the marketplace and Zero Kiryuu noticed that simple fact as he kept walking around with no particular destination in mind. He sighed as he continued his way and hoped that he would find something. Anything that would help him in this investigation.

Silence stretched on as Zero tried to concentrate on finding the level ends location but to no avail. It looks like Kaname was right; there were no leads to follow anymore. He continued walking around the town and downright refused to give up. Who knows what may happen if they didn't do something? He couldn't bear thinking about the innocent civilians who would be killed by those insane vampires.

This was a remote town after all and for quite some time, the incidents here had escaped the notice of the association and the council. Zero thought about how many people were killed before they even heard about the news in this place.

He looked at the sky briefly as he contemplated all that was happening around him.

There were lots of mysteries surrounding the deaths of those Vampire Council members and Zero had a suspicion that someone was moving in the shadows. Everything was carefully planned and there was no trace of anything to follow. It was clear that the main purpose of those attacks was to destabilize the fragile peace between both organizations. He began to wonder about what will happen between Kaname Kuran and him. Kaname and he were partnered up for quite some time but still; both of them came from two different worlds. He was from the association and Kaname was from the council.

The truth was, he didn't hate Kaname at all and despite how cold and apathetic he seemed in the pureblood's company, he really did consider him as someone important like a friend. In more ways than one, Kaname was seriously influencing him to do things he never thought he would do. The pureblood was beginning to change him little by little and he couldn't help but be wary of that. This wasn't a time for him to show any weaknesses at all.

How could that vampire make him believe in hope once again when he believed it to have died with her? Zero couldn't deny that he was attracted to the pureblood's warmth. Just like a moth to a flame. Yet, he also feared that connection more than anything else. Was he really that afraid of experiencing that incident once again? Maybe he was. Here, he thought, that he finally had gotten over that.

Zero reasoned to himself that Kaname getting to know him more would only lead the pureblood deeper into the painful truth. There were just some things that everyone would better be off not knowing anything about. He knew that the pureblood was strong but this was different from anything that Kaname had ever faced. He didn't want him to suffer and he cared about him though Zero couldn't ever understand why.

_I don't want to lose anyone ever again. _He had told himself that phrase over and over again.

He thought about those things as he kept his gaze in the roads and walked past a number of stores. He didn't want to feel that terrible emotion once again and relive the past that he experienced. Losing the person he promised to protect broke him apart all those years ago and he couldn't bear to have it happen to him again.

Kaname reminded him a lot of things back when he could still enjoy his life and he never thought he would ever feel alive again after all these years. The pureblood always butted in where he wasn't concerned and always berated him about his lack of value about his own life. It irked him at times and tested his patience and temper but somehow, it was something he had gotten used to after all these times. It was kind of refreshing somehow, to be able to argue with someone and pretend to be a normal person even for a second in this messed-up world.

He always wondered why couldn't the pureblood act just like he was supposed to do with him. To treat him as an inferior and someone who didn't really matter. Why did that vampire have to be nice and caring? Zero always felt that he deserved none of it at all. No matter how much he wanted to get to know Kaname, he couldn't risk involving the pureblood in his own private matters.

Without any warning, Zero felt a painful throbbing sensation in his head and he looked around him as people began to disappear as though none of them ever existed. He realized with a start that what he felt was an expansion caused by a powerful vampire spell. One by one everyone else vanished, leaving him to stand all alone in the middle of the street. The place felt eerie and the strong presence of a barrier added to that feeling. Of course, he was aware that this false reality wouldn't affect the real world.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the dim silence…

Zero turned his attention to the beautiful woman approaching him slowly and gracefully. The heels of her shoes making steady noises and her dress swaying in rhythm with every movement she made. Her face was slightly obscured by the lace-adorned umbrella she was carrying and her long blonde hair trailed elegantly behind her. She had her eyes on him and there was a sweet smile on her gentle features.

He didn't need to guess from the aura that she was currently exuding that she was a pureblood vampire. Aside from that, he had known that face anywhere. He never really thought that after all these years he would see her again and in a remote town at that. For what purpose, he still wasn't sure. But a nagging feeling inside of him was telling that she was here because of him.

Zero didn't show any surprise at seeing her and he seemed too calm despite the situation he was in. He kept his gaze fixed at her even as she stopped in front of him. He had faced countless of vampires and even purebloods to know that he wasn't supposed to show any emotion or weaknesses that could be turned against him. So he made no move whatsoever and waited for what she would try to do.

"It's been a pleasure seeing you once again, Zero Kiryuu," Sara Shirabuki said softly as she fixed him her light crimson gaze. He chose not to answer her and remained quiet as she seemed to wait for something. "If you don't remember, then don't say anything anymore. It'll be as if nothing happened, and we'll part ways as it is. But… I want you to remember _everything_ that happened in the past," she said seriously as she stood in front of him and played with the ribbons on her dress.

"Is there any particular reason why you want me to remember?" Zero said impassively as he brought his hand to the inside of his jacket where he clutched his gun. He had no intention of doing anything until Sara made the first move. Aside from that, he wanted to know what she was doing here of all places. "I don't think that there is anything worth remembering about the past and I'm sure that you are aware of that as well, Sara Shirabuki."

"Even if you _try_ forgetting it, the memory is actually recorded inside of you," Sara told him as she moved forward a couple of steps and Zero backed away on instinct. But he kept his gaze on her and wondered what on earth she was planning to do. He couldn't let his guard down even for an instant.

Zero tried to gather his thoughts as he listened to Sara. He wasn't sure if he was going to win against her like this. He was on par with her and the results could favor either of them. It wasn't a win-win situation and he was careful not to make the mistake that would cost him. He wondered if there was any way out of this predicament.

"Oh well, I guess you're still as stubborn as always," Sara said as she approached him step by step. "Did you know that the past nights bloodshed is just the beginning? From here on out, it will truly be an era dominated by survival of the fittest. It's a world where any dream is possible as long as you have power. Would that way of life… appeal to you?" she asked playfully as she kept her gaze to him. How long has it been since they last saw each other? It seemed that a lot of things had changed after so long.

"Do you _really_ think that I would enjoy such a thing? Then, I guess you're terribly mistaken in that notion," Zero answered calmly. He never really was a person who cared too much about titles or positions. It didn't bother him at all that he was speaking with a pureblood in that manner.

"I guess you're right. You've always been like that after all. Tell me, is it because of what happened to her or is it about your _family_?" Sara uttered and she didn't flinch as Zero pointed Bloody Rose straight to her chest and halted her advance. Zero cocked the hammer of his gun which told her that he was serious in shooting her. "What a difficult child. I guess you do resemble your parents a lot more than I can imagine. Not only in looks but in attitude as well. All I'm asking for you is to join me," she continued as she stood unwaveringly in front of Zero.

"I'm very sorry to disappoint you but I'll decline your offer once again," Zero said in a serious tone as kept his gun pointed at her. She sighed as she moved a couple of steps backwards and resisted the urge to fight him. She didn't want to hurt him more than necessary. He was an important piece in this so-called game after all.

"Kaname Kuran's your new partner, isn't he? However… I was once your partner in the joint missions too. You are destined to join forces with me. With everything that is happening… I can understand the confusion you're going through. But I know a lot of things about you more than _he_ ever does. Don't you think that I'm more suitable?" Sara said as she extended her hand to Zero and beckoned him to come with her. She felt disappointed when he didn't lower his gun and ignored her hand.

"Despite everything you said. I still won't accept the offer," Zero said determinedly as he fired his gun but Sara avoided it easily with her vampire speed. He whipped around as she appeared behind him and leveled the gun to her once again.

"You leave me little choice. I will give you some time to think things over. I will come for you again at another time," Sara promised him with a smile as she vanished from sight amidst a strong gust of winds. "You're just like that woman. I guess you can't fight against the blood that flows within you," her voice echoed faintly in the breeze.

Zero sighed angrily when she disappeared as soon as she had come and he didn't like the sound of that promise at all. He didn't want to involve the others in this especially Kaname whom Sara seemed to know so well. He would never forgive himself if something happened to everyone else because of him and Kaname didn't need to have further trouble added to him. The pureblood already had a lot of things to deal with in the Vampire Council.

He returned his gun back to his jacket and concentrated his aura. He knew that it was safe and Kaname was too far away to notice this little show of power.

His eyes flashed to a bright burning crimson and the barrier shattered instantly. His eyes reverted back to lavender as he turned towards another street. Everything returned to normal and it was as if the encounter earlier did not take place at all. "Things are being set in motion faster than I'd anticipated," he whispered to himself as he decided to head back to the inn.

Zero didn't know how to tell Yagari and Cross about that sudden encounter and that offer. It was still confusing and he wanted to sort things out before telling them anything about it. He was truly worried about what Sara kept on saying and he hoped that she wouldn't do anything drastic. He had enough problems as it is after all.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

Touga Yagari slumped down in his seat at his desk, his stomach still turning cartwheels, the rank smell of bloodied rain in his nostrils. He didn't even bother to take off his wet clothing as his mind wandered to that scene. Damn it all! He had seen some vile things in his time, but… well, this time he _knew_ the person! It was different when it was some faceless individual or a distant co-worker, but this hunter he had seen less than a week ago, had talked to him personally. A good friend of his.

He shut his eyes, but the darkness only gave him a better canvas to paint the mental image of what he had seen, so he opened them again. He went to the window, leaving a trail of drips on the floor and muddied footsteps, and looked out over the foggy lanes of the night-cloaked city, imitating Zero's habit of doing the same whenever he was thinking about something serious. The thought of Zero led him to the telephone. He should call the kid; let him know about this…

No, he thought, changing his mind. No, he'll find out in the morning, right enough. Best keep him out of it for now. He didn't want Zero to see him like this; the young man was a bright spark, and he could make connections easily but the kid was already overworking himself to exhaustion. Yagari always knew that it was hard to hide things from a young man like Zero; he had an intuition bordering on phenomenal.

But this time he wanted to keep the kid out of this matter for now. It would be better if Kuran would keep the young hunter busy and away from the association for the meantime. He knew just how dedicated Zero was to his work here and he knew just how hard that kid would push himself whenever things like this happen. It was a hard job for someone so young and somehow, he felt sorry that everything was placed on a mere teenager who deserved a much better life than this.

He had seen how exhausted the young hunter was a few days ago, Yagari has seen it so clearly in those amethyst orbs. He knew that the kid was still sick from the mishap last mission yet the young hunter didn't even bother to take a break. So many things were happening all at once and he was aware that they were being driven on the corner by some manipulative bastard.

A cigar; a cigar would calm his nerves. He sat down, drew one from his inside pocket, clipped it and lit the end. He let the smoke drift around the inside of his mouth, trying to relax, but nothing could so easily dispel the uneasiness that he felt. In frustration, he poured himself a stiff whiskey from a decanter that he kept in his desk, tipped it down his throat in one swallow, and poured another.

That damnable fiend! In his own strange way, Yagari had been good friends with the hunter whose sundered corpse he had just laid his eyes on. Friendship, a longing for the cheerful, kind hunter that got along with him and Kaien as well as many others. Maybe if things had gone another way, they would still be drinking at some bar talking about some random things with the other hunters in the association.

Maybe.

But no matter how he tried, he could not shake the image from his mind. The wet, dank underground. The pouring rain outside. The rickety, corrugated shelter within. And then there was the victim, scarcely recognizable as human any more, and the wounds and the blood and what the assailant's done to his _body_…

Yagari drowned the whiskey to prevent himself from retching. Don't think about it, don't think.

_Zero... I'm glad you're not here but it looks like Kaien was right. That person has finally returned…_

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

It wasn't until two days later at nightfall did both Kaname and Zero finally detected the presence of a level end. They hastened through the streets of the remote town. The public houses and inns had closed for the night, but there were still drunkards and revelers staggering over the cobbles with half-drained bottles of beers or whisky. They lurched out of the fog with alcohol-reddened noses, attracted to the bright light that Zero held like inebriated moths. One sight of the silver gun that the two hurrying figures carried turned the drunkards away, however. A few ladies of the night were prowling the alleys, looking for customers, but they recognized the danger the two posed and stayed silent as they passed.

Every so often, Zero stopped and consulted the amulet, a charm that helped them locate the level end, but it usually swung in the direction that he was going anyway. He really didn't need such a thing but it would make Kaname suspicious of his nature if he could easily detect something from so far away. A vampire hunter had that ability but somehow, his was far beyond the concept of normal.

Kaname's work in the council had brought him into contact with insane vampires often, and vampire hunters with them. They were notoriously of odd character. It took a special type of person to devote themselves to exterminating level ends, even with the astronomical wages that were offered to them for doing such a dangerous job. But his partner had a steely calm about him that was unusual. Kaname had heard of Zero's father, there were few in the city who had not heard of one of the greatest hunters. It seemed that this young man had inherited that talent. And it intrigued him to no end.

They headed along the banks of the nearby river hurrying past the alley. A zeppelin droned somewhere distant, a vast sentinel of the city, too far away to be seen in the omnipresent murk.

There it was, suddenly; the high-pitched, maniacal laughter of the level end, sounding as if it was coming from all around them. Zero froze; Kaname, too.

"Damn it! Why didn't I sense the presence earlier?" Zero muttered, almost under his breath, as he held up the amulet. "It was closer than I thought it would be."

_Ah, so you _do_ make mistakes,_ thought Kaname, with a small twinge of satisfaction. It wasn't that he liked Zero making mistakes and getting injured but somehow, it was the concept that the young hunter _could_ make one. Zero sometimes acted like an automaton that didn't even show any shred of emotion whatsoever. It was at times like these when the hunter makes mistakes that he could see the human in him.

Zero was still young and Kaname thought the hunter was wasting his life doing things like these all the time. What was it about the past that drove Zero to this point and shaped him to be the person he was now? Kaname refused to believe that this indifferent, apathetic, and cold-blooded person was the real Zero Kiryuu. After all, he had seen from time to time the caring, gentle, and kind side to this wonderful person.

The amulet swung to their left, towards the river.

"Looks like the presence vanished again," Kaname queried as his vampire senses didn't seem to locate the level end. He was having a suspicion that something weird was going on. There was no way that a fallen vampire could have that kind of ability.

"I guess we'd better be careful then," Zero said.

They ran along the street until the railing at their left gave way to a set of stone steps, descending along the wall that lifted the road above the muddy banks of the river. The tide was low, and the shadows of grounded ships hulked in the gloom beneath them, waiting for the water to rise and lift them once more. They went down, the tapping of their boots swallowed by the mist, their hands clammy and their breath visible before them.

Kaname made a faint sound of disgust as his shoes squelched into the wet, freezing mud, much deeper than he had expected, and vile ooze dribbled in around the laces and through the leather. Zero had made a similarly unpleasant discovery, but he had at least expected it and was not perturbed.

"I hear no splashing," Kaname said quietly, as they waded through the muck and filth. "I doubt it has crossed the river this fast."

"Perhaps it knows we are chasing it, and it lies in wait," Zero suggested as he looked around them, expecting an ambush from their quarry.

Now the bulk of the ships loomed over them like dark leviathans, tall and imposing at this level even though they were only small fishing boats and trawlers. A faint line of lights marked the top of the embankment, the street from which they had come. Down here, the world was a shifting white netherworld of shadows. Kaname could easily see through the dark and he wondered if the hunter would be okay like this in the darkness. The moon was full, at least. They had that small mercy.

The mud banks were eerily silent, the suck and plunge of their shoes unforgivably rude in the soft stirring air. Zero glanced occasionally at the bright orb that hung from the chain in his hand.

"It's here," he said. "It's too close to have made it over to the other side."

Kaname looked around as they trudged into the shadow of a tall deep-sea trawler, leaning wearily over them.

"You think it might have –"Kaname began to say, but his question was cut off by a shrill cry from above, and the thing plummeted from the deck of the ship on to Zero. The hunter's gun fired wild, the globe fell from his hands and smashed, and he was driven into the chocking dirt by weight of the crazed vampire atop him. Unable to react fast enough to repel his attacker, he felt the sweep of a claw towards his cheek, but he pulled his head aside and the vampire missed by millimeters. Kaname shouted then and the creature looked up in sudden alarm.

Kaname had his own gun leveled at the thing, but the sight of it caused him to hesitate momentarily. Once, it had been a human. Now it was a scrawny, parchment-skinned creature, thin and lank, wearing tattered rags and with its hands and bare feet tipped with long, savage fingernails. Its eyes had the same horizontal hourglass shape that he had seen on the others they hunted, and its teeth – as its dry, cracked lips skinned back in a snarl – were tiny and viciously pointed quite unlike a normal vampires fangs.

A gun roared, but it was not Kaname's. Zero had brought his pistol to bear under the creature's atrophied belly, and squeezed the trigger. The creature leaped off him, howling and hissing, thrashing in the mud, scrabbling away. Kaname ran to Zero, reaching down an arm to pull him out of the sucking bog that he had been crushed into.

"Damn it! It's still moving," Zero cried as he came free. "What the hell is happening?"

And, indeed, though it bled from a gut wound and it still suffered from the point of a blade across its foreman from some unknown source, it was running away across the mud flats towards where the edge of the river lapped.

"Kaname! Do something," Zero urged again, struggling to his feet. "If it gets to the water, it'll be gone!"

Kaname released his aura and his garnet colored eyes flashed to a deeper crimson than before. With his abilities as a pureblood, he managed to stop the movement of the level end. But it seemed that level end was fighting back on the control. The insane vampire was already only a faint silhouette in the mist, and he could hear the splashing of its feet as it reached the shallows slowly.

"It's fighting hard against my control," Kaname said, knowing that his earlier suspicion was right. There was definitely something weird about the level ends lately.

As Kaname fought for control, he didn't notice the faint crimson outlining the irises of Zero's amethyst eyes when he was standing beside him.

Zero raised his own gun and fired, feeling the recoil jolt along his arm. He caught it dead in the back, between its knife-like shoulder blades. It squawked, a faintly pathetic sound of surprise, and then there was the noise of its body falling forward into the water.

It lay still for a moment, face down and spread-eagled, until the current buoyed it up and carried it along the river towards the sea, leaving a slowly dissipating trail of dark red behind it.

Zero flexed his arm. "Not far enough," he said as he looked away from Kaname, intent on hiding his eyes from view since it hadn't returned to normal yet.

"So I see," Kaname replied, gauging the distance that Zero had fired and thinking what a truly remarkable shot he had just witnessed. Looks like the young hunter managed to surprise him yet again.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

"Tell me if you feel ill. It would be unfortunate if you pushed yourself until you collapsed," Kaname said as he looked over the young hunter who was sitting beside him on the wooden bench at the park.

The sky was already growing lighter as the two of them rested on the nearby park. Despite the success last night, Kaname had clearly seen that the hunter had pushed himself to his limits once again. He could see that Zero was still paler than usual and he knew that the hunter was feeling the effects of the fever for the second time this week.

Zero was currently leaning back on the bench with one of his arms draped across his eyes. The pureblood wondered what the hunter was thinking about now. "It's nothing, Kuran. I just got tired. I'll be okay in a few minutes," Zero replied.

"It clearly isn't nothing, Kiryuu. You should rest for a couple of days before we head back," Kaname told Zero seriously. He was going to make sure of that and the hunter wouldn't be able to stop him. If he had to use his abilities in the hunter to keep him in bed, he would clearly do so. _God, why couldn't Zero take care of himself properly?_

Zero chose not reply as he heard the firm tone in the pureblood's voice that told him that he wasn't going to have any second opinion on that matter. His head was still throbbing painfully and Zero knew that he shouldn't have used his abilities too much when he wasn't even feeling well. His skin felt hot but all in all there was this coldness seeping through him and he knew that he was running a fever again. Couldn't the day get any worse than this? He thought to himself.

"Hey, Kuran… it's a bit weird saying this at a time like this…" Zero trailed of as he thought of a better word to describe what he wanted to say to the pureblood. He removed his arm and sat straight on the bench. He pulled his hat lower on his eyes as he shifted on his seat to face Kaname. He didn't know why he was doing this but if he could protect the pureblood to some extent by pushing him away, he would do it without any hesitation.

"What is?" Kaname asked curiously as he also faced the hunter and wondered what Zero was thinking about. He had been deep in thought for the past couple of minutes before the hunter interrupted.

Kaname saw that Zero had that emotion in his eyes again. When he saw it, he truly wished he could do something take it away from the hunter. He knew that he was pretty useless right now when it concerned Zero since he didn't know anything about the young man. Yet he believed that even someone like him could do something. He was a pureblood so why couldn't he help the one person that mattered most to him. _I need to stay by him and support him. That's all I can do for him for now._ Those were his unvoiced thoughts.

"If you stay with me, you'll regret it," Zero said critically as he gazed at Kaname with his cold silver eyes. A shade so different from the usual amethyst ones. Those same piercing eyes that seemed to bore into ones very soul.

Kaname was an important person or friend for him now and he didn't want anything to happen to the pureblood. Ever since Kaname showed him that kindness, he had become attached to him in some way. Zero feared that this attachment would grow into something else if he kept on going on like this. There was no need for someone else to suffer because of their involvement with him. That was why he constantly treated Kaname in a cold manner, hoping that the pureblood wouldn't attempt to cross the line he had set for himself.

"Are you even feeling okay, Kiryuu? You're saying weird things," Kaname inquired as he gazed at the hunter with concern in his eyes. Maybe the fever was worse than he thought it was if Zero was saying things like these. The hunter was a very private person and rarely even spoke to him or to anyone else for that matter. It was weird to hear something like that coming from the young man.

"I'm serious, Kuran. I'm glad that you're staying with me like this. Even though I'm very contented… " Zero trailed of as he looked into Kaname's eyes and wondered why he was saying all of this right now. Was he really that desperate to protect this bastard?

He couldn't tell Kaname the reason, he couldn't tell him at all. He was afraid and he didn't know why. He was truly entwined with the pureblood now and probably would be more in the future if he didn't put an end to it now. While everything was still easy between them.

_I can't keep doing this anymore. I'm so tired of pretending and hiding things from others,_ Zero thought as he looked away.

"We're partners. Isn't being together normal? From here on… no matter what happens, I will be by your side," Kaname said confidently as he gazed at the lone figure in front of him. His garnet orbs radiating the concern he felt for the young hunter. _Don't lock yourself away, Zero._ "I will never betray you," he murmured after a while.

"Do you think that's good?" Zero asked coldly as he looked towards Kaname and kept that cold silver gaze at the pureblood. Still, Kaname did not falter and held his ground. Silver orbs to garnet ones. Their gazes locked onto each other. Each held a deep emotion that neither could reveal.

Zero began to turn away as he felt that this discussion was over but Kaname stopped him instantly. Thinking that if he let go now, they would never be able to go back again. There was something in Zero's eyes that told him that he was right.

"I'll never regret meeting you and that is something I've always been thinking about," Kaname told Zero as he brought one of his hands to gently caress the pale face of the hunter. Zero didn't move away but let the pureblood do as he pleased for now. He knew that the young hunter was suffering from something. _Are you really that afraid of getting close to someone, Zero?_ "I can't abandon you now or in the future. If there is one thing I can promise you it's that I'll always be there supporting you or just being by your side when you need me," he continued firmly.

_If fate, hatred, and sadness are the chains binding him, then I'll obliterate them all,_ Kaname thought as he gazed at the silver-haired young man and moved to sit closer beside him. He leaned back and used his right hand to guide the hunter to lean his head on his shoulder. "Please, rest. It's going to be all right," he told him as his left hand held Zero's right; reassuring the hunter that he meant every word.

Zero complied as Kaname guided him and he felt himself relax as he rested his head on the pureblood's shoulder. He felt the sincerity and honesty of Kaname's words. He was being very vulnerable right now but somehow with the pureblood, he didn't mind at all once in a while. Besides, it wasn't as if he could do anything in his condition right now. Everything else seemed fuzzy in his vision and he didn't really understand himself right now.

"If you stay with me I believe you'll keep suffering from more painful memories," Zero said gently as he looked at the clearing sky and felt Kaname still holding on to his hand as if afraid to let go. "I don't want that. I'm not leaving because I hate you. Even I have a way to prevent others like you from being unhappy," he said to the pureblood seriously as he moved to take his hand but before he could do so, Kaname held it more tightly.

"If I'm going to suffer then I'll accept it, Zero. There is no need to worry about me," Kaname said determinedly and hoped that the hunter would understand what he was saying. He decided to even use the hunter's given name instead of his family name. "I don't know how it happened but you're an important person for me so I can't let you go anywhere. It's a selfish desire and I am aware of that. None of this would ever change so please believe in me," he told the hunter seriously as he looked at the young man beside him. He knew that he had said some pretty bold and embarrassing things but those words came straight from his heart. _I could never tell him this today but… I thought, if I could just be the most important person in his life, how happy I would be._

"You're unfair, Kaname," Zero said softly as he felt his heart being moved by Kaname's words. How could the pureblood make him feel these confusing emotions even though they hardly knew each other at all? "I don't know why but I always feel reassured when I'm with you. Maybe I do believe you. Thank you…" _and I'm glad to be able to meet you._ He continued in the same tone of voice. He could feel the warmth of Kaname's hands just like always.

Kaname's eyes widened in surprise at Zero's words. The hunter had even used his name on this occasion and he savored the feeling of hearing it from the one person he treasured most for quite some time now. He knew that after this day, things would go back to normal between them. But Kaname was contented with knowing that somehow they shared this unexpected moment.

"Kaname, don't disappear, okay? Stay with me always," Zero whispered quietly that if Kaname wasn't a pureblood he wouldn't have been able to hear it. The hunter didn't know why but the feelings from long ago that he buried deep inside his heart was threatening to burst all of a sudden. He couldn't understand why he was saying all this things to the pureblood. _What is this feeling of nostalgia? What should I do? I'm on the verge of tears._ Maybe it was because Kaname reminded him of her so much.

"Zero…" Kaname said quietly as he squeezed the hunter's hand. Something was going on with Zero and it pained him to know that he couldn't do anything at all except offer this small comfort.

"I'm sorry," Zero apologized and Kaname was surprised by the words since he had never heard the hunter apologize in his presence before especially if it was directed at him. "Something must be wrong with me. Maybe I'm starting to feel a little bit lonely," he continued and silence soon followed.

He craved the warmth he felt from the pureblood's company, something he never thought he would ever feel again since that time. He closed his eyes and heard the steady sounds of Kaname's heartbeat. _You are too kind, Kaname… I don't deserve any of that kindness at all…_ he thought before finally losing consciousness.

Kaname heard Zero's gentle and even breathing as the hunter rested next to him. He smiled as he realized their positions and was glad that Zero was already asleep. Kaname gently ran his hands to the hunter's soft silver strands, thinking about how things ended up like this. Zero didn't deserve to get hurt this way and he knew that he should've found the hunter sooner that time. He promised to himself that he would protect Zero. He wouldn't let the same thing happen ever again.

The hand he held was warm to the touch and he knew that it was because of the fever. Kaname fished out his handkerchief in his pocket and gently dabbed it at the sleeping hunter's face. If he could at least ease Zero's pain, he would give away anything. Despite all that happened between them, he felt at ease with this stubborn young man's presence. Even the arguments were a welcoming to him.

Humans or vampires, for him they were the same. They both bleed red and they were capable of having emotions. That's why for him, Zero wouldn't be any different from the person he met years ago at the academy. He would always be that same person no matter what happens. And he wouldn't think of the hunter as anyone lesser than him but an equal. A part of his mind wished that this moment would never end. Being able to support the one person he cared about like this was a truly wonderful feeling.

The two of them just sat there, uncaring of the attention they might attract with their display. That conversation before seemed to convey all the emotions they felt and Kaname found that he would never be able to let go of Zero now. He would never let the young hunter push him away or disappear to who knows where.

Kaname hated this weakness of his. But maybe it wouldn't be bad to take this chance for once. He felt as if the moment was theirs alone and he was content to stay that way for a while. Really, Zero was just too vulnerable like this. He thought as he eyed his partner. He was content to stay like that for awhile. He decided to carry the hunter back with vampire speed later on if the hunter's fever was too high.

However, those thoughts were cut short as someone run in front of the pureblood. Kaname watched the young child and noticed that there was something different in the scent of the newcomer. The orange-haired kid looked around frantically as though checking to see if anyone was following him.

Kaname laid Zero down in the bench gently and careful not to wake the hunter with the movement. The pureblood looked confusion and wondered what was wrong when he suddenly scented the smell of a level ends blood on the boy as he approached. The child rammed into him before he could complete his thought and looked at him with wide, fearful eyes.

"Please, you have to help me," was all the child told him.


	5. Life is Transient

**A/N: **hi there to all readers! Thanks a lot for those who've added this story to their favorites and alerts list. Also I would like to thank everyone who've reviewed the last chapter and inspired me to put up another one so soon. I was glad that most of you loved how the story is going and I'm sure that there are lots of questions around the past few chapters. I can assure everyone that all of them would be answered in the next installments… ^_^

Anyway, I know that I've left quite a cliffhanger last chapter with the appearance of a child who seemed to know the secret of the town. It seems that the mission is not over yet and now we'll see how things would turn out. A character finally makes a surprise appearance here also and we'll see who it is later on... ^_^

Please Read and Review…

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Life is Transient**

_I'm going to break you. I won't forgive you…_

_The voice of a young woman whispered dangerously all over the Victorian inspired room that Zero Kiryuu was standing in. He shifted his amethyst eyes all around trying to find the source of that venomous voice. As he looked around, he noticed that the room was filled with flowers and stuffed animals. High shelves were filled with books of different sizes and colors. For Zero, everything inside this room felt eerie. The voice was now laughing softly in the background. As if taunting him and confusing him all the same._

_I'll never, never forget you. No matter where you go. I'll definitely find you!_

_The voice said menacingly as the whole room exploded in bright red flames, burning everything in its wake. Zero raised his arms to block the fire and the smoke that filled the whole room. He could only stare in confusion as a figure emerged from the distance. A woman who seemed familiar to him but he couldn't see clearly with the fires dancing all around him. He wondered briefly if he was going to be burned here as well but the ground he had been standing on vanished in an instant. And he was falling into the darkness. Onto the deep abyss with no end in sight and swallowed him into nothingness._

_What's wrong? Are you becoming scared of me?_

_Zero felt his breath knocked out of him as he crashed to the ground suddenly and woman was now closer to him and she seemed to be floating into the air. The woman whispered those words in his ear as she bent over him. Her body finally dropped down and was pinning him to the ground. Her cold hands were moving to his throat. She begun to choke him and he couldn't breathe with the pressure. His hands moved to pry her fingers off his neck. He wondered what was happening. Why couldn't he fight back? She slapped his hands away and pinned them with her own. He could only stare at her eyes, dull and cold orange ones. She was looking down at him with amusement._

_That's okay, become very scared of me. Lament, tremble, despair. I'll gently teach you everything. _

_She said to him tenderly as she twined her fingers in his and bowed her head closer to his own. Her face was so close to him that he could feel her hot breath and hear the beating of her heart. He didn't know why or could understand what was happening but he felt fear. Something he never thought he would ever feel again._

_And at the end, with my very hands, I'm going to kill you…_

Zero woke up with a start and he wondered what the dream was about. He looked around the room and realized that he was back at the inn. He wondered how he got there since the last thing he remembered was being at the park when he felt sick again. He felt a bit confused about everything. What happened after that?

He felt a presence beside him and he saw that Kaname was looking at him with worry in his garnet colored eyes. Seeing the pureblood, everything that happened came back in a rush. The mission, the park that morning, the conversation… he straightened up in his position as Kaname got up to bring him a glass of water.

He thought about how he arrived back at the inn and suddenly stopped that train of thought. He _really_ didn't want to know how he got back with Kaname.

He felt a bit bothered by the dream but he chose to ignore it as he watched the pureblood leave the room. There were still important matters to be dealt with and this was no time to be sidetracked. There was still that lingering head ache but other than that he seemed to be all right. Kaname must've have been standing guard all this time and he appreciated that gesture.

"How long had I been out of it?" Zero asked as he sat up and took the water that the pureblood handed him. He drank it slowly and thanked Kaname before turning his gaze back at Kaname again. The pureblood sat down next to him and began checking his temperature.

"You've been asleep for a day. Are you feeling okay now?" Kaname asked as he looked at the hunter. He had been looking after the unconscious young man for a while and he noticed that Zero wasn't as hot as he had been before. It only meant that his fever is finally going down.

"Other than the slight headache, everything's fine. Did anything happen while I was asleep?" Zero asked suddenly, feeling another presence outside the door. A human from the feel of things.

"Since you're awake now. I want you to meet someone," Kaname told him seriously. "It seems that this mission is far from over yet."

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

The night was young and the moon shone brightly at the darkened skies. The cold breeze sent chills down the spines of the attendants as they ushered some important guests to the mansion of their master which stood way out of town. There was a party tonight and a number of people were invited to witness the annual events that their master presented.

They grimaced at the thought of what was happening behind the walls of this place and hoped that someday this would be put to end once and for all. Absolutely a few knew about this place's secret and out of fear, they kept their mouths shut.

The mansion was a block of darkness against the cold night. Dusk had not long passed, and lights burned inside against the gathering blackness, tiny spider-eyes glowering from the gloomy monolith. It sat in isolation amid a ruff of evergreens, which soughed in the wind and rustled to each other in disapproval of anything and everything. A winding country road led to a gate with wrought-iron creepers twisting between its bars, and from there the great driveway ran in a circle around a flower bed, whose hardly winter blooms had turned to ice and velvet in the moonlight.

A number of well-off patrons got out of their respective cars and entered the building with their heads held high. High-class jewels sparkled as they passed through the bright interiors and through the room where the event was going to take place. The attendants bowed in formality as they passed and despite the various riches and outfits those people wore, they had gotten used to looking at them as though it was an everyday occurrence. There was nothing worth to look at anymore. All they knew was that some of these guests were arrogant individuals who looked down on everyone around them.

A sleek black car pulled down in the driveway and one of them got down opening the back door.

It must be a newcomer, they thought as they had never seen this car before in any of the events hosted by their master. Instantly, their eyes were drawn to the people inside the car and curiosity got the better of them. As the person stepped out, they became mesmerized by the sight that greeted them. Some of the female attendants blushed scarlet at the unfamiliar guest.

A silver-haired young man stepped out of the car followed by a brown-haired gentleman who also looked marvelous in their opinion though they wore masks that concealed most of their features. A half-mask with crescent moon sparkling silver on top and a glittering fabric handle. White owl feathers stroked their chin as they brought it up to their face.

The brown-haired gentleman said something to his companion who only nodded in response and a little kid who looked to be about ten followed them up the steps to the grand doors. Together, the three entered the building amidst the fascinated stares and formal bows of the attendants. As they entered, the child noticed that almost all eyes were drawn to them but he managed to keep his cool, pretending that nothing was happening.

Zero was wearing a tailored black suit that most of the members of Hunter's Association wore on occasion and reminiscent to the ones he usually wore when there were important meetings. It was decked by an unbuttoned knee-length coat which gave him an aristocratic look. The cuffs of his suit was fastened by pale cufflinks which had a set of stones the same color as his eyes. This intricately designed piece was a gift to him by Touga Yagari. He never wore it that much but he decided it was perfect for this occasion. Instead of a bow tie, Zero wore a black necktie but this time, it wasn't loosened as he usually preferred. This whole combination of clothing, although a bit informal than the ones the other guests wore, suited Zero perfectly as it emphasized and complimented his aura and looks, making him stand out more than he would have liked. Despite being at parties like these most of the time, he still didn't like the attention he usually garnered whenever he passed by.

For the pureblood's part, Kaname was dressed in a silky brown dress shirt partnered with a dark-colored suit. Being a pureblood vampire meant that he had attended a number of gatherings and had been quite used to these formal events. Just like Zero, he decided on wearing a necktie but it was tied properly and his cuffs were fastened by silver pieces with an intricate design of a rose. He wore a necklace that Zero gave him a few hours earlier. He couldn't accept the gift but the hunter specifically told him that it was a thank you gift though he didn't specify for what and that it wasn't just an ordinary necklace. In the end, the hunter never told him what charm was placed in it. Without any choice, he accepted it and decided to wear it for this event. On thin leather chord laid a silver pendant. It was a silver cross with markings that was entwined with vines and roses. It was truly a beautiful piece and it was made more precious by the fact that it was given to him by the hunter.

Kaname walked closely with Zero who seemed to blend in well in this formal party. He thought that the hunter must've been to a number of events like these. The pureblood was drawn to the hunter's movements which were fluid and graceful and fitting for a vampire even if Zero was human to begin with.

Zero felt out of place in this party and he just covered the awkwardness with his indifference. Some guests greeted them and he decided to leave the conversations to the pureblood. He wasn't much of a conversationalist in the first place and he preferred not to mingle too much in events like these. He watched as Kazuto drifted away on his own and thought about the conversation that happened a few days ago.

"_Help me! I'm being chased!" Kazuto told them as soon as he met the young child and all of them were sitting in the living room. The child had light brown eyes were wide in terror as he gazed upon all of them. His light orange hair reminded Zero of someone he knew from the past. "If I'm caught, they'll kill me! Please!" he continued. Zero noticed that Kaname was deep in thought as usual but for him, he was partly amused by what the kid told them._

"_No. Can't help you. We don't even know what is going on," Zero said tonelessly as he stood in front of Kazuto. His eyes telling all of them that he was part serious with what he said. Both he and Kaname already knew that this kid wasn't telling the whole story and they couldn't risk going into the unknown. But this kid was involved somehow with the mission they took in this town._

_The one regarding the missing level ends._

"_A straight 'No?'", Kazuto said disbelievingly as he turned his attention to Zero who was scrutinizing him with his amethyst-colored eyes. "Even though a tender young boy is asking for help?" he continued in a pleading tone but Zero didn't even bat an eyelash. Kaname resisted the urge to laugh as he watched the scene in front of him. "There are limits to how much you can bully people. Demon! Devil! Trash!" Kazuto said as he tried to glare at Zero._

"_That's terrible name-calling, but if you're in trouble, you should go to the police," Kaname said after a while._

"_The police are the ones who are chasing me, and if I'm caught, they'll kill me!" Kazuto said seriously as he looked away and it drew the attention of everyone present in the room. "I don't want to die without taking revenge for my father!" he continued as he looked up and Zero saw the deep hurt present in that kid's eyes. So young to have that kind of look. Kazuto was nothing more than a ten year old after all._

"_What do you mean? Tell us," Kaname said as he gazed evenly at the young child. _

After those thoughts, he occupied his attention to the surroundings and found that the place was just too grand in his opinion. Almost everything in the room was made of polished marble in different shades and he was fairly certain that those curtains were made of finely-spun silk.

On the corner were a set of musicians who played the background music which some guests danced to. There was a banquet table which held different dishes that he saw were a chef's masterpiece. Everything else in here emphasized the vast wealth of the lord of this mansion.

He cast a glance over his shoulder at the crowd decked out in formal to mysterious to grotesque costumes. Gowns brushed past each other as their benefactors danced. Every shape, size, and color paraded on the bodies of women as well as the gentlemen, if you were to call them that. Elaborate masks sneered at others lustfully or snided some people's appearance with slanted eyes and upturned noses. Haughty lips, curled in mock smiles, danced across his vision before vanishing in the antique yellow lighting of the room.

On the opposite end of the ballroom the music swelled, first no more than a small tinkle of a music box before growing into piano, drums, and guitar. The drums and the guitar sounded out of place and the piano wasn't really a piano but a keyboard synthesizing the music. It all seemed so real, yet so dream like. This was just like the countless of formal events he had participated in. Zero kept trying to blink away the misty look of the low lights gleaming off gold and silver costumes.

A twisted goblinish mask with two ivory horns jetted out, stared at him with bright aqua-blue eyes. Zero noticed that the person was familiar somehow.

He had only blinked for a moment. A moment and that person were gone. He really hated going to places like these. Zero sighed as he swiveled around looking for anyone familiar to him. At first the masks had been plastic or carved from wood and ivory with glinting gold and silver attachments but the further they immersed in the crowd the masks became frightening horrid renditions of mythical beasts. A jabberwocky, malicious dragons, beasts, trolls, and horrid evil-looking hobgoblins all on the faces of these people.

Kaname's eyes were drawn to a girl with orange hair who wore a tropical feathered mask on the far corner of the room. Zero also looked in that direction and he seemed frozen in the spot. There was something in his eyes that the pureblood couldn't quite identify.

Was it anger? Fear? Or something else entirely?

The girl lifted one white gloved hand and blew them a kiss. A dancer spun in front of Kaname's eyes blocking the person from view. Just like what happened to Zero, when he could see the area she had been in, that girl vanished. The pureblood turned his attention to Zero who shook his head and sighed deeply as he led the both of them away from that spot.

What was that about, Zero? Kaname wondered as he gazed at the hunter.

The old candle chandelier spilled light down into the mass and in that moment, part of the crowd moved away. They moved just enough for a familiar acquaintance to be seen watching them from a distance. Zero knew who that person with the goblin mask was but he didn't know what she was doing here also.

Meanwhile, Kaname turned his attention to a man who wore a mask and headgear made of peacock feathers. The song drifting from all around them swelled again.

_A song different from the ones before… a mellow song?_

And it started like that.

Out of nowhere the music crept up to them. Playing, as if, only for certain individual's ears. The music drifted lazily over the people who hushed suddenly. It echoed to their right and advance to their right from the left side. The ceiling brought it down from the great height but the floor bounced the deeper tones of the music upwards. It was every where and no where at once.

The music subtly changed into a more romantic and charming tune and Zero found that this music was pretty nice to dance into. He tore his gaze away from the dance floor and shifted his eyes to the girl he saw before and he was carefully studying her. It looked as if she was in the middle of debating something in her mind.

After a while, Zero's gaze softened a notch as he looked at the pureblood and Kaname's heart fluttered instantly. He really loved the emotions that the hunter's eyes sometimes portrayed especially when some of it was this kind and gentle. Zero could be so emotionless most of the time that tiny gestures like this was so precious to the pureblood. Zero excused himself and the pureblood occupied himself with speaking to the other guests. All the while thinking why Zero looked at him like that.

"Would you do me the honor of joining me for a dance?" Zero asked gently as he held out his hand to the girl and bowed elegantly.

He had watched as the girl's gaze drifted to the sea of dancers in the middle of the room and saw the fascination in her aqua-blue eyes. He knew that she must've wanted to do the same and he thought that it would be nice to dance with her in this kind of atmosphere. After all, it wasn't as if dancing would do him much harm in this mission. And besides, he needed to know what she was doing here.

The girl watched in shock as Zero held out his hand for her and bowed to her. Her heart was hammering frantically in her chest as he asked her to a dance. Never in her wildest imaginations did she picture herself dancing to this beautiful music. It was just too good to be true. Nonetheless, her hand reached out in its own accord placing it atop Zero's hand in acceptance of the invitation.

Zero gazed at the girl impassively as he led her away to the middle of the room, aware of the various stares they garnered as they passed by. He chose to ignore the whispers that followed as he focused his attention to her.

He stopped in front of her and bowed gracefully while she curtsied before taking their respective positions.

The girl's arms reached up instinctively and she linked her fingers at the back of Zero's neck, moving a bit closer to him. Zero on his part, reached out to encircle her waist with his arms. They started swaying to the music, oblivious to the countless stares directed at them. There was no need to pay attention to the others; this exact moment was for them alone. The two of them moved in perfect unison as the music enveloped their senses.

"What are you doing here, Shielle Adnade?" Zero asked seriously.

"I apologize, Kiryuu-sama. I was sent here by Yagari-san to investigate some matters," the girl named Shielle answered honestly as she gazed at Zero. Her light blue hair cascading down on her back and white dress swaying gently with each step the dance, she truly was a beautiful girl. "I didn't know that Kiryuu-sama was here as well," she added truthfully.

"How many times do I have to say it? You don't need to address me like that. Just Zero is fine with me," Zero told her exasperatedly as he thought about this girl's way of talking to him. She had always addressed him by that name at the Hunter's Association as well as in missions and such. He never really liked to be called in such formal titles.

"But… Kiryuu-sama. You're…" she began saying.

"Please, there is no need to say anymore," Zero cut her off and the girl looked at him with confusion written in her eyes. "Anyway, how are things going on at your end?"

"Not very good to say the least," Shielle answered and her eyes seemed to shine with unshed tears. Still, she managed to keep them away as she looked at Zero. "Kiryuu-sama, Marco-san was… found dead a few nights ago," she told him seriously.

"I see," Zero said gravely as they turned around gently to the sound of the music. He really didn't know what to say or think he had lost another acquaintance. Marco was a dependable and righteous guy and despite not being able to see the older hunter that much, he was a likable guy. He knew that Shielle Adnade was that man's student and now he realized how much pain she must've felt to lose her teacher.

"Kiryuu-sama?" Shielle asked.

Zero sighed deeply before turning his attention towards her. "I want you to head back to the association as soon as possible and send word to Cross and Yagari that Sara showed up again," he told her as he twirled her gently. "Also I would need some back up in this town."

"I understand, Kiryuu-sama," Shielle uttered as the two of them began to walk away from the dance floor. He bowed to her again and she smiled in response before turning away.

"Be careful," Zero told her.

"You too, Kiryuu-sama," Shielle replied as she waved at him and disappeared in the sea of people in the other side of the room.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

"I've been looking all over for you."

Zero looked up from his glass of wine and stared into the starry sky at the voice. Turning his head slightly, he looked at Kaname who was standing in front of the balcony doors, standing confidently and regal. The purebood walked over to stand beside him in a few quick strides.

_Since that day, what have I been doing? She… taught me the reason to live… and then… seeing another life lost so suddenly… nothing's changed. I'm still powerless. Nothing's changed since then. Damn it… damn it!_ Zero thought as he avoided Kaname's gaze.

"Is there anything you need me for, Kuran?" Zero asked as he gazed at the gardens below and wondered why the pureblood was looking for him.

"Nothing really. I just needed to get away from all the persistent people inside," Kaname answered truthfully and offered Zero a smile before turning his attention towards the sky as well. "I thought that a change of company would be nice."

Zero smiled a little as he noticed that carefree expression. What was it about the pureblood that draw him in? From the conversation a few days ago, he realized that there was a mutual feeling there. If only he could flat out say what he felt for Kaname. He really couldn't put a finger as to what he did feel for the pureblood.

But if only things were so simple now and he could just tell Kaname right then all of these things. His worries, his fears, his past, everything about him.

But with all of this madness surrounding him, he couldn't do it. Not until he was sure, the pureblood would be safe from all of it and not dragged into the darkness he was living in. He needed to settle this past of his no matter how difficult it was for him. Perhaps it was foolish, but it was something he needed to do. He couldn't really be tied down to it forever. He didn't want to lose anyone ever again. Kaname was now far too important for him just like every one of his friends.

_The bonds that tie people together… so strong, yet so fragile._

_Get a hold of yourself, Kaname. It's only Zero and there's nothing going on, _the pureblood mentally told himself. But he couldn't keep his pulse from going up or his breath quickening. Something had changed since that conversation though he didn't know what. He was a bit irked about that fact since he didn't know what to do. He was a pureblood, he was always in control of things.

Zero had turned away at the exact same moment. And he thanked the heavens for that. Kaname noticed they were indirectly communicating both of their feelings. The hunter's lips moved to ask him if she was feeling alright, and the hunter's throat produced the delicious sound of his voice.

Kaname bit his lip at the moment he turned away. _Did I… did I just think… his voice sounds… delicious?_

It seemed that there was no need to pretend to be someone he was not, what existed was the here and now. Kaname suddenly looked at Zero. The hunter's eyes were closed in some reflection. When Zero opened them, the pureblood saw pain in the depths of his lavender hued gaze. Kaname's heart ached at the need to comfort him, to touch the pain Zero felt and make it disappear.

No, it didn't make sense to him. He wasn't in pain but… Zero seemed to be. There was something the hunter wanted to do perhaps say that he was holding back. Kaname had felt it. Seen it in the hunter's eyes. Zero never talked about his own problems, the feelings he had, and that the pureblood believed he consciously shared. Kaito had told him once some things about Zero and Kaname knew then that Zero was a very private person.

Why didn't the hunter take his hands and tell him truthfully what bothered him? It was kind of ridiculous. They hardly knew each other beforehand but Kaname felt it. _He cared for him._ Life before had been dull and a longing for something different kept him from seeing other people. Some friends put it off on the events happening all around and he believed it but not now. Nothing could compare to what enchanted his life after he met Zero Kiryuu.

Kaname knew what was in his heart the moment he set his eyes on Zero. Or when the hunter showed him those little warm gestures. He had protectiveness for him and deeper feelings. He thought the last time he truly talked to the hunter; he saw a glimmer of something there. Growing in his heart but it was too quick to judge anything. They had, after all, just been partners and nothing more. Maybe friends as well.

Was life supposed to go on without the other after this? It was all preplanned if you believed in that way of thinking but Zero didn't. Not anymore. One shaped their lives from what they started with. Only a few things were planned out.

"You know, Zero…The truth is I want to remember," Kaname said softly as he looked back at the hunter. Suddenly, wishing this moment would last forever. "I want to etch these simple moments in my memories. It's pretty weird but somehow that is what makes it special," he continued as he gazed at Zero with such warm-loving eyes that the hunter knew Kaname was telling the truth.

Zero's heart was enveloped by that warm feeling that his painful thoughts lessened a little. How could someone wish to be with a person like him? Someone who could easily bring others in harm's way. The hunter felt that he didn't really deserve any of it.

"Just a few words, Kaname. And you send those warm feelings to me that easily," Zero said he gazed at the pureblood deeply and his eyes bore that longing to tell Kaname what he felt. To finally admit that he didn't want to be alone. To ask to be saved from this darkness. To get to know the pureblood better and to make him forget _that person._

_His voice sounded painful to my ear, and I felt Zero's heartache within it. But… I couldn't do anything,_ Kaname thought at he gazed at Zero's eyes. What was it that brought this sadness into your eyes? What can I do to ease them away and make them disappear?

Zero saw the questioning looks in Kaname's face and he turned away in fear of letting the pureblood know about his conflicting thought. "Please don't ask anything more. If you find out the kind of stuff I do for a living and who I really am, you'll definitely change your view about me," the hunter pleaded as he turned his back on the pureblood.

"I'm always aware of you, Zero. How long had I been your partner?" Kaname asked as he watched the hunter hide away from him again. Are they fated to act like this? To pretend that nothing was going on. "No matter what you tell me, I'm not going to abandon you," he continued in a determined tone. _You must have it hard. You have to worry about a lot of people's problems,_ he thought suddenly.

"I know," Zero answered back. He remembered those words even through the haze of the fever he had. Ones that told Zero that the pureblood wanted to be with him always. The way Kaname had said it that time was truly embarrassing to him and heart-warming at the same time.

"Just tell me!" Kaname uttered. There really was something going on with the hunter and it frightened him that it would eventually destroy the fragile bond that had been going on between them.

"It's a secret. If you're worried because of me, it'll be hard for me to stay with you," Zero whispered as he looked back at Kaname, his eyes a picture of emotions that it made Kaname's heart ache so badly. "There's one thing I want you to remember: my world is now tied to yours and I guess we've made it clear last time when you refused to go away. That's why I want you to trust me no matter what happens or whatever you hear," the hunter said seriously. _If you knew the truth, would you still say those things to me? Would you still be kind to me? _ Kaname's eyes widened in surprise at those unexpected words. He saw the genuineness in those deep lavender orbs. "Please, don't ever forget that," Zero continued softly.

Breath taking eyes bore into Kaname's own. As if searching for a deeper being inside his shell. Looking for a glimpse of his soul, but was he just fantasizing again?

Kaname wrapped his arms on Zero's back and he pulled the hunter more firmly to him. He didn't care how it looked to the others. Their opinions didn't matter at all. One could not help how they felt. It happened that way. In heart and mind he was Zero's for eternity. He pulled the hunter closer into him replacing the space between them with his warmth.

Zero was startled and his eyes widened in surprise when the pureblood embraced him. It was really unexpected that his thoughts simply ceased to function. He could only stand there as Kaname held onto him. But he didn't feel bad at all. Instead, he circled his arms around the pureblood's back and also held onto him. A part of his mind wished that Kaname could save him.

But it was impossible. He was destined to suffer through this mess alone.

They chose to dream for that moment. Reality was perhaps too harsh to go back to just then. Yet morning would soon dawn on this world and their problems would surface again even after this mission was over. It was totally and utterly out of Kaname's hands. He believed they would be able to move past it. He believed it with all his might.

So much pain and sadness were present but… they were both strangely feeling contented right now.

"Zero… I…" Kaname tried to say as he looked back at the hunter after letting go. He wanted to say something, anything to make sure that Zero would not disappear from his eyes again. _God, he wanted to bare his feelings right now even if he was setting himself up for heartbreak. He wanted to tell Zero just how important he was to him._ How was it possible to be so sad and happy at the same time?

As he looked at the hunter, he felt the urgency to do something. Anything. One last moment, one last caress before the night ends. But he didn't do anything. Too afraid to lose that one person who made his life more exciting and meaningful.

_There was always next time…_

At that moment, something large and black came falling through the ceiling over the dance floor. Rough and frightening, the level end landed lightly in the middle of the astonished dancers. Heads turned, as those nearest it froze absurdly in mid-dance. Then a voice spoke in a loud, deep, slow voice that Kazuto knew all to well.

"Well, let's begin this party shall we?"

Everything seemed fuzzy, slow. Zero and Kaname jumped to their feet as their masks cluttered in the floor and hurriedly tried to find the source of the commotion. Many people were only just realizing that something strange had happened; heads were still turned toward the level end as it finally vanished as it leapt away. Silence spread outward in cold ripples from the place where it landed. Then somebody screamed.

Zero and Kaname threw themselves into the panicking crowd. Guests were sprinting in all directions and their masks lay forgotten in the ground. Many were heading out the front doors as they tried to get away from this place.

As they pushed their way across the dance floor, Zero saw that uniformed men was appearing in the crowd; then he saw Kazuto, being surrounded by those new arrivals. They also stopped in their tracks as they saw the muzzle of several guns pointed at them. They waited in silence as the man wearing that mask with peacock feathers approached them.

"It seems the game will be quite entertaining this time," he said mockingly as he turned away and Kazuto glared at the man's back with such intensity that the others didn't miss.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

"Do you have anything to say for yourself young man?" Zero said as he leaned against the brick wall of the prison cell and played with the handcuffs on his wrists. He stared at Kazuto who was hunched in the corner with his back turned away from everyone else. And just like everyone, he was handcuffed as well. After the fiasco at the dance, all three of them were brought to this prison for no apparent reason. The event at the balcony was pushed in the back of his mind. There was no need to dwell on that right now and he was sure that Kaname was also thinking about the same thing.

"I'm sorry, but without anyone's help, there's nothing I can do," Kazuto said sadly as he tucked his chin on his drawn up legs. He really didn't mean to get everyone else in this mess but when he saw them back at the park, he thought they could help him avenge his father.

"Your revenge, Kazuto?" Zero asked skeptically as he gazed at Kaname who was keeping silent for the past couple of minutes. It was really hard to understand what was going through the pureblood's mind right now. Somehow, Kaname seemed different than usual.

"My father was also brought here for something he didn't do and they told me he would be out soon since he wasn't charged with anything serious, but no matter how long I waited he still wasn't released," Kazuto said bitterly as he turned around to stare at Kaname and Zero. "So I waited for the prison supervisor to come and ask him," he continued before recounting the conversation he had with that horrible man.

"_If you're talking about that prisoner, he was executed yesterday," the supervisor said simply as he stared at Kazuto in the back seat of his car. His tone was like someone suggesting the weather and it sparked anger deep inside of Kazuto's soul._

"_Why?" Kazuto shouted as he moved nearer the side of the car._

"_You ask why? I can't remember every single one of them," the man sneered as he addressed the child who was clenching his fists tightly and whose tears threatening to fall from his eyes._

"_Give my father back to me," Kazuto told the man evenly._

"_What? Give you the corpse back? It'll come out in the trash in two or three days," the supervisor said mockingly. Kazuto couldn't take it anymore and he picked up a stone on his feet. He threw it hard at the car and it left some scratches on its surface. "You brat! Catch him! Catch him and put him through the same thing as his father!"_

"And that's how I ended up seeking for your help," Kazuto said as he looked away from Zero and settled his gaze on the floor.

"That's terrible! There's no way we can just let something like this go," someone said from the cell in front of them. A tall brown-haired man wearing a long brown trench coat over his white shirt appeared from view. "Hi there, Zero and Kuran. As well as Kazuto, right?"

Everyone else turned their gaze at the source of the voice and Kazuto looked curiously at the person who seemed to know the two people who helped him. Like his companions, this man was also good-looking and there was something quite different about him from normal individuals. Maybe this person was dangerous and strong just like Zero and Kaname, Kazuto thought firmly.

"Kaito, why are you here anyway? I thought you had a mission somewhere," Zero said tonelessly as he addressed the man from the other cell. Kaito had vanished to who knows where as soon as the last assigned mission to him ended and after he passed the reports. Zero hadn't heard from him since then.

"Ah well! While I was looking for an inn here, I heard there was this great place with three meals a day," Kaito said casually as he leaned on the bars of his cell.

"Don't you think that lie is obvious," Kaname said quietly from his sitting position on the hard bed. Of course, he wasn't the only one who thought so but Kazuto didn't bother voicing out what he thought. It would seem quite rude on his part since he didn't know that person that much. But really, the excuse was pretty lame in his opinion.

"I bet you got ripped off at some shady joint and they arrested you for beating the man half-dead," Zero concluded as he gazed fixedly at Kaito who chose to look away. At that reaction, Zero knew that he had hit a bull's eye. Well, he had known Kaito for a long time to guess things like this.

"How can you speak so ill of people," Kaito said as he avoided Zero's gaze. _That guy's sharp as always,_ Kaito thought as he tried to think of something to say. "Wouldn't do something like that to people for money. We should all be free to spread _love_ after all," he said in a way that reminded everyone except Kazuto of Kaien Cross. The chairman of Cross Academy who had a knack for saying weird things out of nowhere and antics that pissed off other people.

"Makes me want to get my gun out," Zero muttered under his breath as he turned his attention away from Kaito.

"But you really are a reckless kid," Kaito said to Kazuto who looked at him with his sad light-brown eyes. "This prison is infamous for not letting any prisoners out once they are inside," he continued as he repeated the words that some people from town told him.

Silence stretched on after his words and he began turning away when someone suddenly spoke.

"Shall I help you? You'll take it, right?" Kaname asked as he stood up from the bed and stood in front of the young child. "Your revenge," he told him as he opened the handcuffs with his powers and it clattered to the floor. He proceeded to do the same with Kazuto's and faced the door of the cell afterwards.

"Wait! Just like that…" Zero trailed of as he stared after Kaname and noticed that there was really no stopping the pureblood. _And that bastard tells me that I'm the reckless one,_ Zero thought suddenly. He easily snapped the chains with practical ease and he hoped that the pureblood was distracted enough. He knew that it was his inhuman strength at work. These were ordinary handcuffs after all and not ones used by the association. Those people must've thought that Kaname and Zero were normal humans and that they couldn't escape in this stupid prison cell.

Kaito easily picked the lock of his handcuffs and gazed at Kaname who slammed the door open with his kinetic energy, alarming the sentry who stood guard in the cell and before that man could alert the others, Kaname had knocked him out. Meanwhile, Kaito also picked the lock of the door and soon, all of them were standing in the wide hallways of this prison.

"Take this guy's gun," Kaname told Kazuto as he looked over the place and focused his attention on finding the way out. Kazuto did as he was told and took the gun from the unconscious man.

Zero sighed deeply at the way things were going and he decided to just go with it. He knew that the word revenge sparked something in Kaname and he could see it so clearly on his partner's features. He loosened the necktie he had been wearing and wondered when all of them would be free from their messed-up pasts. He turned his attention to the aura of level ends he had detected and drew Bloody Rose in preparation. The chains making a clinking sound as he took it out.

"No way! Why wasn't your gun confiscated?" Kazuto asked in disbelief as he noticed that Zero still had a gun even though they were inside the prison cell. How the heck did that happen? Who are these people?

"By the way, my weapons are also safely with me," Kaito added as they began walking deeper into the prison.

"How did you guys even manage to hide your weapons?" Kazuto said as he walked alongside Zero and noticed that he seemed to be focused on something. It was really weird. Why weren't their weapons confiscated? It didn't make any sense to him at all. No one can smuggle any weapons in this prison after all.

All of a sudden, the sirens sounded throughout the prison and they stopped momentarily at that sound. They looked around at each other and conveyed the same message in their eyes. To get out of this place fast. They took off at a run and turned around several corridors but it seemed the exit was nowhere to be seen. Zero felt the presence of the level ends getting closer as they ventured deeper in this dungeon-like place. It seemed to him that this town was truly hiding some deadly secrets.

"They already found us out," Kazuto said incredulously as he ran to who knows where since he stopped paying attention to where they were heading. It was only a few minutes that they were out of the cell and this happened without any warning.

"Well, it is a prison after all. They must have quite a few security measures," Zero told him as they ran to another set of doors and corridors. He found it quite odd not to run into any personnel ever since the alarm sounded. He looked towards Kaname and saw the pureblood was also thinking along the same lines.

"What do you mean by 'security'?" Kazuto asked curiously as they stopped at the middle of a hallway with no doors except for the one at the end. "Traps to capture escapees, like collapsing roofs or scary rocks rolling after us?" he suggested after a while, remembering some shows he used to watch before.

"There's no way it will be like that classic," Kaito said jokingly as he looked around the place and wondered why they stopped in this location. Zero signaled him to be quiet and all of them listened as something sounded from far away. There was the sound of rocks scraping along the passage that Kaito did not like. "What was that sound just now? What the heck is this?" he shouted as he watched the ceiling descend upon them.

"Well, it seemed that you guessed incorrectly," Kaname said sarcastically as he took off into the direction of the door. He could stop the ceiling with his power but it would risk the whole place collapsing. He guessed that doing this the conventional way seems a better option.

"Hold onto me!" Zero said as he hurriedly scooped up Kazuto who protested slightly at being carried in his arms but later on fell quiet as he also followed Kaname at a run. He knew that they needed to hurry or else face the possibility of being crushed by those rocks.

The four of them reached the door as the ceiling finally crashed to the ground.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

"Our guests this time are putting in quite a show. It seems they'll be able to keep us entertained right to the last stage," a man said as he paced the room with a wide smile on his features. A mask with peacock feathers lay discarded on the desk in front of him.

From the security feed on the television on his left, several level ends growled menacingly. Their crimson eyes shone brightly and long fangs bared in anticipation, waiting for their next prey.

The unfortunate ones who would come upon them soon.


	6. Heal the Pain

**A/N: **Hi there to all readers! Many thanks for all those who reviewed the last chapter and encouraged me to keep on going with this story. I would also thank those who've added this story to their favorites and alerts list. Once again, you guys inspired me to create another chapter and update it sooner than I imagined I would.

My midterm exams are fast approaching so I don't know how many chapters I would be able to put up in the next few weeks. I hope that I would be able to update plenty and keep the story going. Anyway, I've been dragging on with this so here's the new chapter and I hope that you like it…

Please Read and Review… ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Heal the Pain**

"Dobermans. How classic can you get?" Zero said sarcastically as he and the others ran the length of the passage with several of those dogs trained after them. He could've have easily done something about this certain problem but he didn't want the enemy to know that he was not a normal person by any means. It would be huge advantage on their part if they were underestimated like this. He knew that Kaname was also thinking of the same thing. Of course, he also didn't want the pureblood to know about the fact that he was also a vampire. Although he was only a noble class level from the vampire hierarchy.

There were some things about his family that he didn't know how to tell the pureblood. He wondered what Kaname would think if he knew who his parents were. A lot had been going on with his life that he felt he couldn't even catch a break. There were too many secrets and he was finding it hard to hide all of those from Kaname. After all the time they've been together, the pureblood was slowly breaching the line he had drawn for himself. It would be a matter of time before his partner would find out the truth about him and the circumstances that brought them together.

The four of them had now come across a number of traps laid by that certain guy they were tailing at the ball and it was testing Kaname's as well as Zero's resolve to pretend to be a normal human.

"In that case, you'll have to call it a beta version," Kaito suggested dryly as he now carried Kazuto on his arms and looked over his shoulder to see the dogs still barking and running after them. What he wouldn't give for either Zero or Kaname to use their vampire abilities or anything else for that matter now? He was getting pretty frustrated with all the stupid traps of this place that they kept on running into. If he ever found out who was doing this, that person had better be prepared.

A few minutes later, they encountered a huge iron door that blocked their way. None of them knew what lay beyond that certain room but there was really no choice given the situation as they ran for their lives. It was a cowardly thing to do in their opinion but they could not risk revealing themselves as members of the association or the council until they find out what was going on around this prison.

Kaname kicked the door with such strength that it was forced widely open. Suddenly, a terrible smell overcame their senses as they stopped in the archway.

"What is this place?" Kazuto asked curiously as he moved a little bit closer inside but the place was dimly lit that he couldn't see much of anything at all. It was just plain darkness. "It stinks in here," he added as he covered the half of his face with one of his hands. The scent was pretty rotten and it made him want to gag. _Where was it coming from? _He thought deeply as he tried to gauge the interior of the room. The darkness blocked his vision but he felt a certain chill down his spine. As though what he would see there would be something quite terrible.

"Ah, not good," Kaito said as he backed away a couple of steps from the approaching dogs, his brown eyes trained on them. It wasn't that he was afraid of the dogs but these ones looked pretty rabid and wild in his opinion. He didn't want to picture himself with those teeth ripping through his flesh and with that mental note, he decided to do something. "If possible, I don't want to harm any animals no matter how wild they looked," he added as he reached into his coat pocket to pull out a weapon of his but a hand shot out in front of him. He watched as Kaname stepped forward and looked straight at the eyes of the dogs with such intensity. The growls reverberated through the silence and in a split second, Kaito saw a brief flash of red in the pureblood's irises. It was only for a moment but nonetheless, it was still there. The dogs whimpered in fear before turning back the way they came.

"Waah! You're stronger than wild beasts," Kazuto commented as he caught a glimpse of the dogs running away in fright.

_Those dogs must've been frightened by a vampire's aura,_ Kaito thought as he caught a flicker of a strong aura moments ago. He wasn't that prejudiced against vampires in whole but just against those insane vampires. He had killed one of his own many years ago and it seemed that wound was still fresh inside of him. He had learned that Zero was a vampire as well; he couldn't help but look at that guy as a human like him. It was pretty stupid given the reality of Zero's nature. He had glimpsed the silver-haired hunter's monstrous aura way back and he judged him as a high-ranking vampire. Yet, he didn't think of Zero any different. Was it because he had seen what kind of person Zero really is to see him that way?

"What's wrong?" Kaito remarked suddenly as he saw Kazuto picking up something from the floor as he went deeper inside the room.

"This is Dad's…" Kazuto said hollowly as he gently ran his hands through a beaded bracelet that his father always wore. He couldn't believe the reality of what was happening even though he knew that it was impossible to think otherwise. His father was truly gone now. And it was all that man's fault.

"Does that mean that in there…?" Kaito trailed off disbelievingly as he gazed at the end of the room and vaguely noticed a cell like structure he didn't manage to see before. It was just like the prison cell they were in before but this one housed the corpses of those humans who died in this place. Kaito looked away from the revolting sight of several corpses piled together like some kind of trash. Maybe it was a good thing for him that he and Kazuto couldn't see well in the dark. _How could those people here do such a thing?_

"My father is inside there," Kazuto answered in the same hollow tone as he refused to look at the sight anymore. His father had died just like that and even in death, he was treated like some kind of garbage. He felt tears prick the corners of his eyes at those thoughts but he quickly pushed them away. It was no time to be weak. He would seek revenge for his father as well as for himself. It didn't matter if that man used those vampires after him, he was confident he could escape again if worst comes to worst. He had managed to injure one after all when he was chased a few days ago.

Zero narrowed his eyes at the pitiful sight in front of him. The corpses had bite marks and claw marks all over their body. Bit of flesh had been torn away from their neck and blood covered their body like some grotesque red robe. He could easily deduce that these humans died a very horrible and painful death. It just goes to show that even humans are capable of such cruel acts. Well, this explained the case of the missing level ends on this mission. It seemed that the man who ordered for them to be locked up was behind this mess. He could be very well using the level ends to his needs and used them to kill those people. A level E was the lowest form of vampire and Zero was aware that those types were already beasts with no form of thinking. Only the intense craving for blood and flesh was left in their minds. Who they were before would cease to exist. It would be easy to control them with these _sacrifices_. The word sent a pang of anger inside of him but Zero reined it in.

_All they could believe in was themselves. This was survival of the fittest. Losing was not an option, _he thought as he surveyed the scene. The silence stretched on for awhile until someone spoke suddenly.

"I see. So avenging his father coincides with your own interest," Kaito said knowingly as he stared straight at Kaname's deep garnet eyes. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going in that pureblood's mind. He was sure that Zero had noticed it as well and he wondered why that guy hasn't said anything at all. Zero could be forthright or honest most of the time. What made this one different? Well, it wasn't like he knew that silver-haired person quite well. It was true that they had met occasionally back at Cross Academy as well as the Hunter's Association but Zero Kiryuu was a pretty private and mysterious individual. Who knows what that guy's been thinking most of the time?

"What are you implying?" Kaname demanded as he narrowed his eyes at Kaito who seemed unaffected by that gesture. He didn't need this hunter to tell him what he can and can't do. He was irritated enough as it is with the revenge word cropping up all over the place. It always brought back those terrible memories from all those years ago. He was treading on a thin line of finally lashing out on someone.

"I was just wondering whether you are going to face your own pain head on, or whether it would be easier for you to meddle in someone else's pain," Kaito replied without taking his eyes of Kaname. He knew it was stupid doing this but he wasn't going to be afraid of any vampires. Besides, he needed to let off some steam from this crazy mission.

"If you're selling a fight, I would buy it," Kaname challenged.

"My fights are pricey though," Kaito mocked as he pulled out a silver knife with rune markings from his coat. He readied his stance as he pointed it straight at the pureblood. "I wonder if you would have enough to pay," he said seriously as his gaze also narrowed menacingly at Kaname whose eyes were starting to turn to a deep bright red. His tone of voice different from his usual one and held an edge to it. If this guy wanted a fight, he sure as hell wouldn't back down.

Kazuto's pain was momentarily forgotten as he could only stand in shock as the room felt several degrees colder than before. His attention was focused on the two individuals in front of him who seemed to be glaring at each other with such intensity that he wished he was somewhere else this moment. Frankly, all of the individuals around him had such intense auras. He felt himself being suffocated by the strength they displayed. Kazuto heard a deep sigh from right beside him and he turned around to see Zero approach the two.

"For heaven's sake! Stop fighting you two idiots," Zero ordered as he stood in between his two friends who seemed bent on tearing each other apart. He glared at both of them when they didn't seem to back down or heed his request. When the two began to draw apart and the tenseness began to diffuse, he heard a sigh of relief coming from Kazuto.

"Even if its fun Kaito, don't tease Kuran too much," he said as he rounded on Kaito. Sometimes, all of them didn't seem to understand boundaries and such when it came to matters like these. He was also like that in some affairs and as a result, they couldn't help these arguments from popping up immediately or all over the place. _I understand how you feel though,_ he thought afterwards as his glare softened a notch.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" Kaito asked like a petulant child as he pocketed the knife he had drawn.

"No one's," Zero replied calmly before turning to face Kaname who met his gaze. He knew that it wasn't only Kaname who was feeling like this when it concerned certain areas of the past. Their own pasts seemed bent on chasing them even after all these years. Even he was not exempt from that. "Kuran, don't forget, the reason we're here isn't for some personal revenge," he stated as he began to head towards Kazuto who had been keeping silent even after this little picture they made. He knew what it felt like and even if he truly felt sorry for the kid, there was nothing much all of them could do. "Let's go. This isn't the place you should be," Zero told Kazuto gently as he laid a hand on the child's shoulders.

"Oh, but I wish you would stay awhile. After all the fun is about to start," a voice echoed from somewhere and all of them turned to see a man hidden in the darkness. Suddenly, aside from that man's location, light spewed all over them that Kaname and Zero covered their eyes for a while. _He must've approached from the opposite door_, Kaito thought as he moved closer to everyone else. A wicked laugh followed his speech and Zero felt the urge to wipe the smug grin of that bastard. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this arena. I am Supervisor Wesmeyer. I praise you for getting this far. However, as long as you are still alive, you must continue to fight. The last one standing will be released. Be it a vampire, or a human," the man announced as several level ends and prison guards approached the scene. "Your_ father_ fought well. When he heard that his child was coming to see him everyday, he became desperate but it was all for nothing in the end. It was a pitiful sight really," he mentioned as he spotted Kazuto amongst the group.

"Father…" Kazuto whispered as he tried to control his tears from what that man had told him. It was unfair. Why did that man have to live while his father died? His father never did anything wrong and yet he was sent to this prison nonetheless.

"Now that you know, I shall have you pay for the crime of throwing a stone at me," Wesmeyer barked as he motioned with his hands for the level ends to attack. "Well then, shall I show you hell?"

All of them moved instantly as the level ends dove in their direction without any delay whatsoever. Kaname ushered Kazuto to hide behind some of the crates at the corner of the room while they took care of this mess. Kaito quickly handed a dagger as he went to join them in this battle. As the level ends closed in on them, Kaname knew that he had to steel himself for anything that would come. He won't hesitate. Not this time anymore. After all, he couldn't let Zero down for the second time. He ducked as a level end tried to slash through him with its long talons. He pulled back his hand in preparation as he swiped the dagger horizontally and made contact as the level end howled in pain. A few seconds later, he drove the dagger straight to its heart. He sidestepped as another went for his back and he pivoted around using his heel to slash through its chest.

As he parried the enemy's assault, he watched from the corner of his eyes, how the others fought. Just like most of the hunters he knew and had been acquainted with, Zero and Kaito really fought well. The pureblood could see Kaito fighting a number of level ends from his left with a dagger on each hand. He slashed through a number of them with ease and in no time at all. Kaito's eyes showed his irritation as he avoided each thrust of the talons that came his way and retaliated with his own attacks. Finally, he noticed Zero whose face bore no hint of any emotion. Just like before, his movements were well-coordinated and he put an end to the level ends with a single shot straight through their hearts. All in all, everyone was doing quite a job well done.

"Ah, what a pain," Zero said indifferently as he brought his gun behind him and shot another level end cleanly in the heart. The enemies were fairly easy to handle but their numbers were quite annoying to start with. He knew then that the prison supervisor was guilty of a number of crimes. The association also has the authority to arrest humans who were using vampires for their own gains especially when it harmed the civilians. In this case, it involved this so-called fighting arena where this man set up level ends and humans to fight against each other. No wonder, there was a number of rich patrons in that mansion. They must've been betting about the results of this so-called game.

"Really? I think it's quite fun," Kaito exclaimed as he fought against another level end.

"It's not even fun," Kaname remarked as he blocked an attack aimed for his head with the dagger he was using and kicked the level end on its gut. He rushed in quickly while it was winded and drove the dagger to its heart like he always did. He didn't really like doing these things but he had resolved long ago to fight as long as it protected everyone. Zero was right in saying that he had to carry this sin if he wanted to keep on protecting others. _I've come this far already. I've always done my best to achieve my goals. That hasn't changed. But now, something else is more important to me, _he thought as his gaze was drawn to Zero.

"But I wonder what kind of place hell actually is," Zero uttered as he delivered another shot from his Bloody Rose and sent a confused look in his eyes at Kaname who caught it instantly. From the way, they stared at each other; it looked as if they were silently reading each other's minds. Didn't they consider at some point in their lives already that the life they led years ago truly was a complete and utter hell? Or maybe in the near future they would undoubtedly face it again? Somehow, realizing that fact made the whole statement seem quite funny in their opinion.

Kaname smiled at the thought that he and Zero did have things in common. They could be polar opposites at times and argued like little kids. But Zero was the most trusted person he had and someone who knew his terrible past like the back of his hand. "Thanks for the hospitality and invitation. Shall I bring along a lunchbox for a picnic?" he said politely as he avoided another attack from a level end. He felt his mood getting lighter with Zero's help. _Really, I'm getting too stressed out from all of this revenge issue_, he thought suddenly.

"Make the omelets sweet and soft, those fluffy ones!" Kaito added as he noticed the lighter tone in Kaname's voice. At least that pureblood finally gotten his emotions sorted out. He didn't need to watch out for an emotional vampire in this mission after all. It sounded really nice even if they were faced with a number of level ends. The tension from before seemed to disperse and right now, all of them were talking normally. Even if the situation seemed weird enough as it is.

"Unfortunately, it looks like our departure to hell won't be for a while," Zero observed as he shot the last of the level ends and glanced at the disbelieving man in front of them. He was quite sure that Wesmeyer was thinking about the impossibility of a bunch of teenagers eliminating all of his ends. Well, he couldn't blame the man one bit; he was unaware of their profession after all.

"Oh, this is impressive," Wesmeyer exclaimed as he watched the four eliminate the crazed vampires he had amassed. This unexpected event would surely rake in so much money from his patrons. All he had to do now was to get rid of that brat. "You three over there. You guys will do. If you want to leave here, exterminate that kid over there," he added as he pointed his finger at Kazuto's direction.

Kaname could feel himself aggravated by that man's statement and arrogance. Who the hell does he think he is, ordering them to do that kind of thing? If he wasn't trying to hide the fact that he was a pureblood, he would've definitely taught this man a lesson he would never forget. As he glanced all around his companions, he found that he wasn't the only who seemed to think that way. There was a steely note in Zero's amethyst eyes that he knew quite well and the area around him seemed to get colder by the second. Kaito's hands were shaking in anger as he glared at the man in front of them. There was so much irritation that all of them could take in one day and this man was pushing their limits.

"Shut up, baldy," Kaname warned as he finally had enough of the silence and Wesmeyer's triumphant features. He wanted nothing than to punch the lights out of that bastard.

Besides, it would be a good way to work out his stress for the past few days and this time, he didn't need to pretend to be a composed pureblood vampire. He could just be himself for a little while.

"What?" Wesmeyer hissed as though he didn't hear the statement. He stepped forward from his place followed by some prison guards. The lighting of the room reflected over the large bald patch on the top of his head, making it shine a bit brightly than normal.

"Even if you shout at us in baldy talk, there's no way we'll listen to you, baldy," Zero added as he glared at the man in front of them and felt some satisfaction on getting a rise from that arrogant bastard.

"You'll just continue getting balder for all eternity, baldy," Kaito remarked as he smirked at the flustering man in front of them. Judging from the reddening of Wesmeyer's face, he was sure that this man was on the verge of blowing a fuse. Well, it was a given since they were pretty much insulting the guy but if truth be told, it was quite fun. Works out all the frustration he had for a while.

Kazuto covered his mouth with one of his hands as he tried to hide a smile from breaking into his features. It was inappropriate after his discovery but he couldn't help the sheer hilarity of what he heard coming from Zero and the others. That man's angered face wasn't helping with his dilemma. Who would've thought that these guys would have a sense of humor like this? They were pretty much calm and collected individuals from his first impression. This kind of behavior surprised him but it was kind of welcoming. It would make it easier to try to get along with them if he ever got the chance. His mood turned solemn as his gaze drifted to the mass of bodies on the other side of the room

"At any rate, I do not like being looked down upon," Kaname proposed in an even tone as he gazed calmly at the humans gathered before them.

"Wow, Kaname is so pompous," Kaito and Zero whispered at the same time as they heard Kaname's statement.

"But I do understand how he feels," Zero mentioned after a while as he warily watched the humans trying to surround them. "Shall we knock that man off his high horse?" he offered as he gazed at the others and they in turn understood the silent message in his eyes. They nodded their response. _Let's take out the guy already._ His eyes seemed to say as all of them moved suddenly that the other guards were taken aback.

"What the hell?" Wesmeyer uttered as Kaname and Zero suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. How the heck did they move so fast? He dived instantly as a kick was sent his way and he issued an order for the guards to attack the four intruders. He fumbled with his gun as he regained his balance and tried to fire a shot at the ones attacking him. He watched in disbelief as the young man with silver hair avoided it with ease at point blank range and closed in the distance between them in a matter of seconds. He was knocked off his feet and it sent his gun cluttering a short distance away from him. He aimed a punch in retaliation but the individual moved away and something bright silver caught his eye.

After a while, his eyes widened in horror at what he saw.

_Vampire Hunter._ There was no mistaking the pendant that glinted from that young man's neck. A silver cross etched with some kind of rune only meant that these people were members of that organization. Only one thought came to mind, he was so screwed. He never expected in a million years that the Hunter's Association would arrive at this no-name town so far away from the city. He had tried to keep a low profile as he conducted this shady business but now that these guys were here, there was no way he was getting off that easy. He'll be arrested and sentenced to who knows what. But he wasn't going down without a fight. They were still kids after all, he was confident enough to be able to do something.

"Excuse me," Kaname said as he held the man's wrist firmly and planted his feet on the ground. He used his other foot to disrupt the balance of that man and as soon as he accomplished that, he used his inhuman strength to throw the man off. He gave a satisfied smile as the man crashed to the floor in a heap. He had never quite forgiven this person for what he did to those people and Kazuto.

Suddenly he was taken out of his private musings as Kazuto approached the man with a gun in his hand.

Kazuto had been watching the whole ordeal from the corner of the room and he couldn't help but watch in awe as the people he recently met took out all of the level ends with practiced ease. He could even hear them joking and talking with each other a few minutes before. They were truly strong, stronger than he imagined them to be. How could they fight like that? Why weren't they scared of the enemy? Those questions plagued his mind as he hid there behind the crates. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw Wesmeyer fall on his back and his mind registered that it was time to exact his revenge. There was no vampire in the room left, and he had a gun on his hand. Surely, he could avenge his father now, right?

"Don't move! My dad… this is for my dad!" Kazuto bellowed as he held the gun in his shaking hands. Its muzzle pointed straight at Wesmeyer's surprised features. He cocked the hammer but his fingers didn't seem to want to pull the trigger. _Why can't I do it? My revenge is right here,_ he thought angrily as he remained frozen on the spot.

Wesmeyer stared at the gun in front of him but his features changed into a smirk as he watched the scene behind the stupid brat. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked mockingly.

"Oops. We got caught," Kaito mentioned half-heartedly as he held both of his hands up in surrender to a number of guns trained on him. He wasn't the only one who met the same problem. Kaname was also surrounded by the humans except he didn't bother raising his hands.

"If you care about their lives, drop your gun," Wesmeyer ordered as he watched the scene in front of him. _Looks like the tables have turned_; he thought as the kid wavered for a moment but still didn't drop the gun in his hands.

Kazuto heard the order but he couldn't do it. He truly wanted to avenge his father and it was finally here within his reach. These people have helped him a lot but he couldn't let go of it now. "I'm sorry," he shouted out as he kept his gun trained on the man in front of him. He locked his gaze upon Kaname's garnet eyes and turned away instantly. He couldn't bear to look at them because it was his fault. All of it was.

_Why doesn't Kazuto understand a situation like this? Revenge is useless if you're going to lose someone in the whole run or sacrifice another life to achieve that,_ Zero thought angrily as he surveyed the scene before him. Because of his position, the prison guards didn't manage to surround him like they did with the others. He kept quiet as the exchange went on but he didn't like the direction it went to. He sighed deeply as he began to walk towards Kazuto. His features emotionless and cold, there was neither trace nor hint of gentleness in his eyes.

"Your revenge is futile like this. If you're shaking that much, you won't be able to hit the target. If you lift the gun up a bit and miss your target, you'll be in trouble," Zero said in an apathetic tone as he guided the gun and shoved it on Wesmeyer's mouth. "You are going to scatter his hot blood and brain matter, and blast through his skull with a bullet. The vivid image of his eyeballs and the contents of his brain bursting out from his dying face will forever haunt you for the rest of your life. Are you prepared for that?" he asked seriously as he shifted his steely silver gaze at Kazuto who looked at him in disbelief and fear.

Meanwhile, Wesmeyer squirmed from his position and prayed on his mind that this kid wouldn't do anything.

Kazuto looked away from the cold gaze he witnessed from Zero and he hesitated for a moment. The way that Zero described the things that would take place frightened Kazuto but he didn't want to lose this chance. His revenge is within his reach now. "Of course!" he answered with confidence as he shifted his determined gaze to Wesmeyer.

"I see. Well then, be my guest," Zero uttered as he took out his Bloody Rose and pointed it straight to Kazuto's head. The silver body of the gun glinted as bright as the necklace on his neck and the chains were making its clinking noise on the silence that followed. Because of the nature of some level ends, this gun had been developed to be able to harm not only vampires but humans as well. His stance was firm and his finger was placed on the trigger.

Kaname witnessed the sudden turn of events and he couldn't help but think that things are moving too fast in his opinion. How did they manage to come to this part where Zero looked serious in shooting Kazuto? Despite that, he believed that the hunter wouldn't hurt that kid. It wasn't in Zero's nature to harm innocent people and he knew that simple fact after all the time they had spent together as partners. There was no need to be worried because he felt that maybe Zero had a plan in mind when he pointed his gun at the child. _No matter what happens, I'm going to put my trust on you, Zero__,_ the pureblood thought as he kept his eyes on the hunter.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kazuto asked warily as he looked back at Zero whose cold gaze seemed to pierce through him.

"It's simple. I am going to seek revenge, just like you. The moment you shoot this man, my friends will all be killed. So, I will have _you_ pay for my comrades," Zero answered in the same tone of voice.

"That's not fair! It's not like I'm the one who's killing them!" Kazuto exclaimed.

"It's the same thing. They'll die as a result of your reckless action. I won't forgive _anyone_ who takes away the ones I hold dear," Zero told him in a tone of voice that sent a chill up everyone's spine. It was a deadly tone of voice that conveyed how serious he was in his statement just now. "After I shoot you, we will all die in a bloodbath. Soon after that, someone else will kill me. This is what it means to kill someone. Do you have the courage to endure ever greater eternal sadness? Are you prepared to force your sorrow on other people?" he asked without breaking his gaze at Kazuto's tearful brown eyes.

"What's with that? Surely it's his entire fault! So many people have died! So many…" Kazuto cried suddenly.

"I know, but I'm sorry. I am sorry," Zero uttered back as he kept his gaze at Kazuto but his eyes didn't seem that hard any longer. In his gaze were the gentle amethyst ones that Kaname was used to. "They're not here anymore. There may have been tens, hundreds or thousands of other people I don't know, but these people are more important to me," he finished in a gentle tone as he stared at the young kid in front of him. Kazuto couldn't hold back the tears anymore as he pulled the gun away and dropped it to the floor. He ran forward to Zero who was momentarily stunned by the action and cried with all of his might. Kazuto clutched Zero's coat tightly as he sobbed and he felt sudden warmth as Zero circled his arms around him. Despite how strange it seemed, Zero's embrace reminded him of his own father's. His heart-wrenching sobs brought a wave of pain to both Kaito and Kaname as they realized how cruel life had been for this kid. He was only a child and yet he had to bear witness to such dreadful things.

"Rather than living for the dead, you should treasure your own life," Zero said softly as he kept his embrace on the crying child in front of him. It suddenly reminded him of a memory from so long ago. _Come on, Kuran; don't look at me like that. Try to cheer up. I'm sure you'll be better off this way…_ those words echoed back in his memories as he remembered the day that Kaname told him about a part of his past. The revenge that the pureblood had yet to accomplish.

Wesmeyer hurriedly crawled towards the discarded gun and all the while thanking his luck for this chance. He was going to make all of these people pay for this humiliation and he would start with that fucking brat. After all the trouble he went through, that kid deserved to die. He reached out to grab the gun but a shoe stepped harshly on his fingers. He screamed in pain as the shoe seemed to dig deeper in his hands. It felt like his fingers were shattered by the strength of that step. He looked up with wide eyes at the two figures smirking at him.

"Don't you realize we've just spared your life?" Kaname said quietly in a tone that suggested that he was pissed off as hell. He increased the pressure on his foot and felt a satisfaction at hearing the man's screams of pain.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Wesmeyer answered amidst the pain he felt as the guy in front of him crushed his fingers.

"Well then, right now, for our benefit, we are going to have a bust-up more intense than death," Kaito promised in a dead serious tone as he cracked his knuckles and glared intensely at the man on the ground.

"I am looking forward to it," Kaname uttered back. A few minutes later, Wesmeyer's screams reverberated throughout the walls of the prison.

Shielle Adnade arrived a few minutes later to arrest a severely beaten prison supervisor and to settle things with the town together with Touga Yagari. It seemed that the event falls under the Hunter Association's jurisdiction and Kaname was more than welcome to comply. He was in no mood to deal with the aftermath of this mission.

They finally said their goodbye's to Kazuto who seemed to have grown attached to Zero all of a sudden and promised to visit them when things settle down. He waved them goodbye as they headed back towards Zero's car, leaving the others to handle the cleanup.

A few minutes later, they pulled down the road back to the headquarters with Kaname in charge of the wheel and Zero on the seat beside him. Leaving Kaito on the back. The pureblood noticed that Zero seemed to be thinking of something again, he could see it in the hunter's eyes. _Just now… those were eyes that seemed to curse the unfairness of life. I guess that he also had a harsh life. Yet he's always trying to fight it._

Kaito felt the tense silence come back as he heard no response from either Kaname or Zero. The two seemed to be brooding about some matters again. It wasn't that it bothered him much but couldn't the two at least take a break from all of those things. "Ah, that felt good. Zero-kun called me 'my important person' asked me 'are you alright?' he also said to me 'I'm lonely and I need a hug'," Kaito continued in a mock imitation of Kaien Cross' weird antics and singsong voice.

"Stop mixing reality with fantasy, you bastard!" Zero shot back as he glared at Kaito from the rearview mirror. He was thinking about some matters regarding the association and Kaito just had to say those stupid things. _What the hell had gotten into that guy?_ He sighed as saw Kaname smiled at the sudden outburst.

"Anyway, why did you stop Kazuto earlier?" Kaito asked curiously as he regarded Zero.

"No matter what the reason, killing is just killing. And he's too young to stain his hands with blood," Zero answered as he stared at the windows and watched the sceneries pass by. "Besides, we don't have to add further injury to wounds, don't you think that's better?" he asked afterwards.

"Maybe," Kaname said in a calm tone as he also turned his gaze to away from the road for awhile to watch Zero. He truly wanted to save Zero from whatever he was facing. The pureblood had never had that kind of conviction before but here he was willing to do everything for just one person.

"But you'll do it right, you'll take your revenge," Zero asked seriously as he turned back his gaze to the front and locked eyes with Kaname. He knew then that the pureblood was serious with what he told him all those years ago. He knew that this revenge was something that would happen in the near future and he was afraid of that confrontation as well. There were a lot of things that could happen after all.

Zero noticed that he seemed to fear a lot of things these days. No matter where he looked their future seemed so bleak and depressing. Was there any way out of this mess at all?

Kaito watched the exchange from the corner of his eyes and saw the seriousness in the gaze of everyone around him. It seemed so out of place for him to be here after all. But he wasn't lying when he said that he wanted to help Zero too. He was a hunter too after all and he could do something for the association to ease Zero's burden a little.

"You know what? All of us we'll be together for the next few years," Kaito told them cheerfully. "I won't die. I won't let you guys die, either," he continued seriously as he let his brown eyes convey his feelings. "Even if we become deadbeat travelers, we'll have a psychedelic, happy life sipping tea on a veranda," he finished as he offered a smile to Zero who returned it. Despite seeing it a couple of times, Kaito was still taken aback by how nice it looked on Zero. Kaname smiled also as he saw how unguarded Zero seemed in their company now. They lapsed into silence afterwards but the tense atmosphere from before had disappeared.

_He's always there to protect me, and I feel safe at his side. But he doesn't even know anything about me,_ Zero thought deeply as he saw Kaname's reflection in the window. Would he always be that far away for others to reach? Was there any reason for the pureblood to trust him like this? Zero really didn't know what to think about that fact and he was content on just accepting that this time. He knew that there may come a time when they'll be separated and a chance that they might never see each other again.

Kaname noticed the distant look in Zero's features and it fueled his determination to learn more about the silver-haired hunter. Despite what he might learn, he still wanted to get to know Zero better. To learn why the hunter always had that emotion in his amethyst orbs. He trusted the hunter more than anyone else in this world and he felt sure that Zero would never betray him. He only hoped that maybe someday the hunter would trust him fully as well.

_We had finally regained a bit of our happiness. But we hadn't yet noticed… that one horrendous incident had already begun._

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

The great gothic arch of the train station loomed out of the rain-mist, spectral in the faint moonlight. There was no fog tonight; the torrential downpour had torn it to tatters and it had retreated to the hollows, lurking in thin shreds around cold graveyards and derelict waste ground. Few people trod the streets, for the rain was enough to chap the cheeks with its fury, and those who did were surrounded by a private haze of moisture as the droplets exploded over every centimeter of them.

But for some, the necessity of travel was great enough to force them to brave the elements, and cars still rattled back and forth through the deluge. For an unfortunate few, however, there was both the necessity of travel and the lack of wealth.

Kaori Hirai walked on; unaware that tonight there was something stalking her that would take her life before the dawn rose again.

A car creaked slowly through the downpour, forging through the sheets of rain, it's body a color of the night sky. There was some mark in the front of the car. A silver snake was coiled around an inverted cross. Insidiously, the dark car moved through the streets around the station, heading to a destination known only to its driver, an appointed time and an appointed place.

Gradually, it was swallowed up by the rain, until it had passed from view and was gone.

The onslaught slashed down, the walls crawling with rivulets that shifted their routes restlessly back and forth down the rough stone. The kerbs had become river banks, and the street-gutters gaping caves that drank them in greedily. Spuming waterfalls careered off slanted roofs, plummeting down to burst in the ground below. Under the feeble protection of her black umbrella, Kaori continued on her way.

Her car had broken down in the street a few blocks away and she found out that her cell phone didn't even work in this storm. She had waited for a good few minutes before deciding to brave the rain. There was an important meeting today in the Vampire Council and it would not do her reputation any good to be late for it.

She pulled her cloak tighter around her and bent her bonneted head down into the driving rain. It was a walk of over three kilometers. She was even gratified to notice that the rain was slackening. And then, with eerie suddenness, it stopped, the curtain of rain slipping its rail and collapsing to the ground, leaving only the persistent, chiming trickle and splatter of the water running through the drowned streets. Without the racket of the deluge, the streets seemed preternaturally quiet; and the moon emerged fully to paint everything in shades of steel.

Yet there was a creeping sense of dread in Kaori's breast, and it began to gather slowly as she tramped along the wet pavement. Something was wrong, something… but she couldn't place her finger on it. A frown settled on her beautiful, unblemished face as she tried hard to think what it might be. She had thought that she was probably hearing some things and dismissed the sounds she heard as part of her imagination. She blamed her own sharp wits for failing her now of all times, and was becoming increasingly frustrated when suddenly it struck her.

She stopped in the light of a dripping lamp-post. Yes, she heard it. She began walking again, listening hard. It was still there. Could it be a trick? An echo? Perhaps, but something told her that it was not. A chill was worming into her marrow.

For every two steps she took, she heard _three_ footsteps.

She stopped again, looking behind her. Once more, the third footstep succeeded her two, a quick noise as if someone had been following her and had been caught out by her sudden halt. Like someone was trying to walk at the same rhythm as her, and failing.

There was nobody on the street.

She watched for a time, but only the splashing of the run-off water came to her ears, and nothing crossed her gaze.

Wasn't there something, something she heard? About this? Why did it remind her of something? Ah, curse her muddled head. No time now, anyway.

She set off again, but the sound was still there; _step, step, (step), step, step, (step)._ Was it something flapping about her right ankle? Or the tail on her coat? Experimentally, she tried grabbing and holding different parts of her clothing as she walked, so that she was sometimes comically holding one edge of her skirt as she went, sometimes her boot. After a time, she gave up. If there was anything flapping about her person and making that tapping sound, it would not be silenced by her grip.

Another glance over her shoulder at the long, well-lit street she walked along, and once more there was nothing there. There was something nagging at her, an old story that her mother had told her once, harrying her insistently, but in amid the chill of her strange, creeping fear, she could not recall what it was. With a snort, she turned back and continued on. But the fear and the nagging would not go away, and indeed increased, and there was something she ought to remember, but she could not for the life of her think what. And that damned footstep was _still_ there, seeming louder now, almost as if someone was walking right behind her.

She could not resist a third look over her shoulder, and it was her last.


	7. Highly Unpredictable

**A/N: **hi there to all readers! Once again, I'm here to put up another chapter to this ongoing story. I've been busy for the past few days so I haven't been able to update as fast as last time but luckily I had a bit of a free time to write another chapter here. This one would focus a bit on Zero and could be considered as a filler chapter since there is no Kaname and Zero interaction here. Though there would be brief mentions of Zero's past. Anyway, hope you like this chapter…

Please Read and Review… ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Highly Unpredictable**

The pale silver strands of moonlight streamed through the broken windows of a certain abandoned building on the far side of the city. This rundown facility that had once been a tenement for people now lie in ruins and forgotten by time. Broken glass and pieces of rocks had been scattered all over the dusty floor of the passage. Upon closer look some rooms still housed wrecked furniture though some had been boarded up. The moon was out that night and everything else was bathed by its eerie silver light.

The chill breath of the night stirred and swirled in the gas-glow, curling with a serpentine malevolence through the islands of man-made light. The mists from the river were stealthy at this hour, hiding at the edges of the clutter of the streets. It was relatively clear for the month, and the usual murk had been tattered into eddies by a sharp northerly breeze that cut through the bone without being warmed by the intervening flesh.

_Time has started to move at a furious pace. Until now, I thought that I could continue to face my everyday life the way I always had, _Zero thought._ But not anymore._

He glanced around with a frequency that betrayed his nervous alertness. He was a little afraid, he knew that. But fear alone did not account for the whole of his manner. Like the others, he could feel the rot at the heart of the city, could feel the cancerous tendrils snaking through the veins of the metropolis.

The sensation was not a new one, even to people such as Kaname and himself – he with his highly developed intuition, honed over the years of vampire hunting. Everybody in the city felt it to some degree, something so subtle as to be almost unnoticeable. Always, it had been there on the edge of perception, leading speed to the footsteps of those who walked the city's streets, making eye flick away from eye in fear of contact with another who might be an agent of that nameless dread. In the last few days, however, it had gathered in strength until it was like a dull throb in the stones of the terraces, bleeding through the cement.

Zero Kiryuu's light footsteps echoed eerily through the silence and the occasional shifting of stones as well as scrunching of glass could be heard. It went on as a certain individual combed through the deserted hallways. He made his way deeper into the darkness and braced himself for whatever he would encounter. His lavender eyes that looked silver at times seemed to bore no hint of emotion whatsoever that night. He wore a white dress shirt with his necktie loosened as he usually preferred underneath his knee-length coat which rustled as he treaded on. A glint of light could be seen as his necklace bounced on his chest.

A silver cross.

The dispatch came a few hours ago and it was only him and Shielle in the office that time. Kaito came a few minutes later and he volunteered to accompany them on this mission. So now here he was on the second floor and still no sign of the enemy they were looking for.

He turned around the corner and came upon a new set of hallways leading deeper inside the building. The windows in this part were boarded up by planks of wood and only a few rays of light streamed through its gaps. There were also rooms in here but none seemed to hold his interest. He didn't feel anything in particular in every one of them. There was a faint presence but he couldn't identify what it was. He muttered a curse as he turned around and proceeded back to the previous path he took. He was sure that there was nothing there but a dead end. No point in wasting his time there.

"Zero, how's the search going there in the second floor? Shielle didn't find anything in particular down in the basement and there's nothing here on the first floor," Kaito's voice said from the earpiece he wore before all three of them entered this building. He came upon a set of stairs leading to the third floor and as he took a step towards it, he knew that he found what he was looking for. There was something in the third floor and he quickly went up. He looked around him and noticed that something did feel wrong in this corridor. He sensed minor presences lurking nearby though not quite distinguishable in his senses yet. But he couldn't mistake that one of those auras was the enemy they were supposed to hunt down.

"Negative, there's nothing on the second floor. But I can sense something in the third floor. I want you guys to head up here immediately. There are a number of them in here and from what I could feel they're also located on the fourth floor," he answered back as he took out his handgun, its chain making clinking sounds. It was silver with the words _Bloody Rose _written in its body. He positioned his finger on the trigger as he brought it at level with himself. He walked cautiously on the third floor corridor, keeping all of his senses on high alert as he treaded through the enemies den. There was a sudden shuffling noise and he stopped in his tracks. It seemed that he wasn't alone anymore.

"Very well. We're heading there this moment. Be careful, Zero," Kaito told him as the communication went off again. The silence seemed to stretch on as he stood there in the middle of the path. He closed his eyes as he expanded his senses in order to locate the enemy. In the abyss of his mind, a number of images appeared before him. In a matter of seconds, he managed to pinpoint the location of the enemy and it seemed to be heading his way from behind. As he opened his eyes, gone were its familiar lavender hue and instead in its place was a bright shade of crimson that shone like rubies in the darkness.

There was a flurry of movements as he sidestepped easily and pointed his gun straight at a creature with dark-colored eyes. It made growling noises as it prowled in front of him like a predator bearing on its prey. Its long fangs visible as it eyed him intently. No doubt attracted to the smell of fresh blood. There was a split second pause before it lunged again. Zero maneuvered easily behind the creature and fired his gun. The sound echoing in the dim silence that pervaded the whole place. There was a guttural cry that sounded like a wounded animal and once again the enemy vanished from sight. Zero watched as it bounded away, it seemed to finally figure out what he truly was. That he was not just a normal person to begin with.

_A level end… No, wait… There's another stronger presence hiding here…_

The mission would have been easier with Kaname Kuran around but the former had to report back to the Vampire Council. Besides, Zero was sure that he would be able to handle matters just fine without the pureblood around. It had been days since the last mission back at that town and everything seemed normal between them. There had been lots of unforgettable moments there and conversations that had been exchanged. In truth, Zero was worried that it might change the pureblood's views about all that was happening.

Another member of the council had been murdered and everyone was already on the edge. If things don't change soon, he was sure that all that they've worked hard for would all be for nothing. That the coexistence that they all wished for would fall apart without having even been realized.

Zero stirred away from those thoughts as he walked on and concentrated on what he was supposed to do. He didn't want a repeat of what happened before and he didn't want Kaname to think that he was being weak again. Didn't he already tell himself a couple of times that he would do everything he can to make sure that this problem would be solved? There was no need to worry about it now. He just needed to finish this and then, he could think of ways to prevent the rift between the association and council. Losing concentration would get him nowhere.

"Kaito, can you hear me? I'm going after the enemy in this building. Warn Shielle to stay alert," Zero said seriously as he opened his communication link. He heard Kaito's response a few seconds later and he decided to keep the line going. He saw the dark-colored blood that almost looked black staining the floor. Since he was a vampire, seeing in the dark was no problem for him at all. He could see everything as clear as day. He followed its trail towards a set of stairs leading upwards.

Zero reached the fourth floor and noticed that the level end he was chasing after wasn't alone anymore. He sighed as he pocketed his gun in his inner coat and gripped the handle of the katana he brought with him. His father had given him this particular sword made of silver when he decided to join the association years ago. It held its own power much like his Bloody Rose and despite its nature; it was customized to be used by vampires like him. He never used it much in the past but lately, he had been favoring it instead of his gun. Especially at times like this when he didn't want to waste his bullets or try flexing his powers.

There was a steady sound of gunshots a floor below and Zero knew that his allies had finally engaged the enemies. He could feel some power and charms at work and he guessed that they were using hunter-based spells. The cold winds carried the scent of blood that he knew would only be noticeable by vampires like him. He paid no attention to it as he walked on, intent on finding the real enemy he was chasing after. The one who had been controlling the other level ends.

"_Another victim, huh? This guy's pretty bold to kill those humans near our territory. I wonder what Kaname Kuran thinks of this," Shielle said thoughtfully as she adjusted the ribbon on her hair in front of the mirror. She glanced behind her as the others continued their own work._

"_Who knows about that? More importantly, what do you think about this Zero? Surely, we won't let something like this go," Kaito mentioned casually as he handed Zero the reports he had been filing. "Anyway, I'm heading out for a while. Don't worry, I won't take long," he said as he moved back to his desk after the others nodded their response. _

"_We don't know who offered their blood, but some worthless being with no common sense is taking the lives of people, which is a problem. Vampires aren't supposed to harm humans without authority and reason," Zero said impassively as leafed through the papers and arranged them with the other reports. He decided to pass them to the other departments later on._

"_Looks like that vampire disregarded the rules, Kiryuu-sama. I doubt that the others would let this matter end this way. Sooner or later, we'll receive the dispatch. Besides, with the way he's been killing he's pretty easy to spot," Shielle said as she went back to her desk. She watched as Kaito began putting on his coat._

"_The fact that it was unable to hide its actions shows how inferior this being is. For what it's worth, today's culprit is the lowest of the low. Its name is a disgrace to mention. No aesthetics, no pride. A stray vampire at best," Zero said in the same tone as he looked outside the window of their office. It looked like snow would fall again soon. It always looked like the cherry blossoms that his mother favored. _

"_This isn't like you at all, Kiryuu-sama. But I guess even someone like you would be pretty pissed off with this problem," Shielle said gently as she waved Kaito goodbye. The two shared knowing smiles before the door closed. Everyone else even Zero wouldn't let this matter slide. At least, Zero was pretty good with controlling his emotions unlike the others in their group._

"_I wonder about that," was all that Zero said._

There were sudden movements as the level ends elongated their claws and rushed towards him without hesitation. Zero ducked under the strike aimed for his head and easily grabbed its hand, gaining leverage and throwing it over his shoulder towards the others aiming for his back. He sidestepped as another came after him this time aiming for his heart. The level ends continued their assault and Zero kept on avoiding their blows. His crimson eyes were focusing on each movement, taking every little detail as he memorized the pattern of attacks.

_Looks like it's time to do this seriously…_

Zero backed away a couple of steps from the enemies and slowly unsheathed his blade, the silver katana glinting dangerously in the semi-darkness. The sound of metal being drawn from its scabbard echoed amidst the growls of the level ends. The sword's motion created an illusionary image of the moon. The remarkable blade shone fiercely as it was fully drawn and resting in front of him. He slowly passed his fingers through the metal of the katana and invoked a charm to release its power. The sword glowed momentarily revealing a set of mysterious words in ancient language as though engraved in its surface, before it returned back to its normal state.

Contrary to what everyone else believed, he did feel an ounce of regret and sadness for these beings. Those who had been cursed into an existence that lived solely to satisfy their intense need for blood and unable to control that instinct. He didn't know if he would ever get used to doing this but he also knew that granting them death would be their only way to freedom. He had always known that fact.

But, weren't he a vampire as well?

How long had he lived in fear that he may hurt someone unintentionally? He knew that his level of control was different from normal vampires but it didn't mean that there wouldn't be occasional slips. He did care about others despite their belief that he was too cold and apathetic. Though back in high school, people seemed to think that it was pretty cool. He never really figured out that kind of thought. In the end, he tried to maintain a proper distance to the humans while also being able to be of assistance to them when they needed his help in some school matters. It was just a matter of knowing when he would cross the line he'd drawn for himself.

It was part of his nature to desire blood and to need it despite the blood tablets being produced to counter the effects of bloodlust. In a way, some would think he wasn't really different from those so-called monsters. That thought hurt quite a bit and he was well aware that some humans still think of them that way. Especially considering what kind of vampire he was. They had reason to be cautious of him. Maybe it was this kind of desire to prove to something to himself that drove him to do this job. That he was someone other than the head of the Kiryuu family. That he wasn't just a noble vampire.

He was one oddity among many. He supposed he was abnormal in several ways, he thought, as he chanced to look at himself in the broken windows. How many people could claim to be a vampire hunter at a young age? How many could afford to live in their own home, even if it _was_ bought by his father?

And he certainly did not _look_ abnormal. He had clear skin and pleasingly placed features, and no smallpox or trench fever had ravaged his face like so many he had seen. He was a little pale, perhaps, and he would never have the build that his father had, for his shoulders were narrower and he was naturally leaner. But he had fine eyes of the unique shade of amethysts and smooth silver hair, gifts from his mother, whom he resembled greatly. His father had often commented that he could see his mother in him; sometimes it was affectionate, sometimes in disappointment when Zero had failed to match the expectations laid out for him. Those latter moments crushed him inside, and he died a little each time.

But his father was gone now, like his mother before him. Zero was alone.

His childhood had not been an easy one. He was born the only son of a man who was already a legend by that time. The Kiryuu name was known throughout and his father, the foremost vampire hunter in the city, possibly the world. He knew more about vampire lore than any man or woman who lived. He had been a tall, heavy-set man; strong as a bull, and quick-minded with it. A veteran of a hundred scrapes with death, he had attained the status of an icon among the vampire hunters of the city. The former president of the association. Even as he fell in love and married a pureblood vampire the respect of other hunters never wavered and Zero had been in awe of his father.

But then his mother had gone. A senseless and brutal murder in a graveyard somewhere out of town. She was beautiful, artistic, and sweet; his father had worshipped her, and Zero had loved her dearly. But she died anyway.

After that, his father had changed.

"_She was too good for a world such as this; she was meant for the next life, for the angels." He had said that once, when Zero was six. His voice had a terrible melancholy to it as he looked out of the window. "There is no place for people like your mother in this world. Her sweet nature, her compassion, her creative fancies… where once these were strengths, they are weaknesses now. I fear for you, son. I fear that those traits that were your mother's will mean your undoing one day."_

"_What of the level ends, father? Where do they fit?"_

_His father's head had sunk a little. "They do not fit. Not anymore," he said. "That is why we kill them."_

When Zero was eleven years old, his father's fabled skill had failed him. They never discovered what he had been hunting, but there was little left of him when he was found.

It was his father's friends Touga Yagari and Kaien Cross that took him up. His father had left him a house and a healthy income, for vampire hunting was an extremely lucrative profession by virtue of its danger, and the offered salaries and bounties would make a lawyer gnash his teeth in jealousy. They moved into his house and continued Zero's education as a vampire hunter; for he was given all the responsibility after his father died, and he knew no other way. The association needed him but he needed the help of his father's friends to learn more and not afford any mistakes. In time, the teachers and apprentice became friends and finally, hunting partners.

Those thoughts and feelings had brought him to countless of missions and even this one as well. Zero stared at the level ends with his crimson gaze as he finally shifted the sword and readied his stance. The same one he had been using for years and one that was taught to him by his parents and acquaintances. Some humans that showed him that maybe living together wasn't so bad after all. That even someone like him who was born both a hunter and vampire could have a place in this world.

"Fallen vampires, your judgment have been passed," Zero whispered the words softly upon lowering the blade to his side and shifting one of his feet forward. He remembered everything he was taught clearly and his body followed the images of those training days. He narrowed his eyes in concentration and suddenly launched himself to the enemies in front of him.

_The soft sound of bells echoed…_

The heavy scent of blood filled the air as Zero swung his katana in a deadly arc and instantly sliced through a level ends body. He didn't break any concentration as the body thudded to the ground, the blood from its torn flesh staining the floor in a darkened shade of red. He maneuvered to the right as he avoided a fatal blow to his heart and brought down his blade vertically before the enemy could evade, decapitating it. A split second later, he thrust it forward to another vampire, straight to its heart. Zero was sure that the level ends didn't even feel their life being snuffed out as he continued with his assault. He tried to make it as painless as possible with his katana. Always making sure that he hit the vital areas instantly. Even those creatures deserved a painless death but not that level B in the rooftop. He still hadn't forgotten what that _worthless trash_ had done the past few days. There was no excuse for its behavior.

With those thoughts in mind, Zero continued his attacks and hoped that these fallen vampires had finally found their peace at last. He easily avoided every blow sent his way and countered it with one of his own. Despite the blood bath in the fourth floor corridor, it seemed that it didn't affect him entirely. The clothes that he had been wearing were still in their normal condition. There were a few flecks of blood in his coat but none too noticeable. He knew that a minute or two later, the bodies would soon disintegrate to dust. Silence soon followed as he lashed out for the last time and he stood there in corridor as though deep in thought.

He swung his blade to the side, sending away the blood staining it. A few seconds later, he inserted the sword back to its scabbard. The bells tied to it jingled and Zero was reminded of the old days. So much has changed all these years. He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of footsteps heading his way. His eyes returned to their normal color and he instinctively looked above as he detected the only presence to be there. He quickly brought his gaze behind him as he heard footsteps heading his way.

_How could death look so beautiful?_

That question ran through their mind as they stumbled upon the scene. Shielle and Kaito could only stare at the lone figure standing in the middle of the hallway. The moonlight shone clearly through the open windows and it held a rather mystical look to it. The ground was covered in crimson liquid that was in all likelihood the blood of the level ends. There were no bodies in sight except for the pile of ashes and shredded pieces of clothing. No doubt that a lot has happened here. They paid no heed to the bloodbath as they stared transfixed at the individual holding a sword. There really was something breathtaking with that scene no matter how frightening it looked in reality.

"Looks like we need to call the _disposal squad_ for this. We also made quite a mess downstairs as well," Shielle said in a friendly tone, diffusing the silence that hung in the air. A mess would be an understatement. Both she and Kaito went all out after all.

Shielle flecked her clothes of the remaining ashes from the battle below. Her light blue hair that almost looked white waving at the movement. Her motion dropped down her sleeve and a silver bracelet with an identical cross to Zero's became visible.

"I'm going to assume that this mission isn't over yet," Kaito said seriously as he addressed Zero. He pocketed his gun on the long brown trench coat he had been wearing over his black shirt. He also flecked the ashes on his brown hair. There was also that same pendant on the chain that hung on his neck.

"There's still another stronger vampire in the rooftop. The report says that he's the main target for this mission," Zero said as he walked towards another set of stairs leading to the rooftop. He began to ascend it and the two decidedly followed him.

"Well, it's something that we could handle without too much trouble. But I'm pretty sure that Zero would want to handle it alone," Kaito said to Shielle as they followed the silver-haired young man in front of them. They were fairly used to Zero's bout of silence and his indifference in most situations especially ones like this.

"That stray vampire had gone on a rampage and ignored the set rules of the purebloods and the council as well as the association so naturally Kiryuu-sama would feel that way even if he doesn't use his authority in matters like these," Shielle said politely as she stared at Zero's back. They had been classmates since high school but they had known each other farther than that. Coming from a well-known hunter family, she had been introduced to him. Zero had always been like that even in the past and that was why she couldn't help but respect him and be in awe of him every time.

_The scent of human blood…_

Zero was momentarily stunned as he stood outside the door of the rooftop. The scent of human blood was so strong that he had to resist the draw of his bloodlust. His amethyst eyes flashed to red for a second before it reverted back. Kaito and Shielle were confused for a moment when Zero stopped in his tracks. Then something registered in their hunter senses. The smell of blood and decaying flesh came from the other side of the door and the sudden surge of aura they felt from Zero was surprising. Something terribly wrong must be on the rooftop. _But what could it be?_

There was no mistaking what the stray vampire had done. Not only had he disobeyed the laws of the council, he had just massacred a number of humans. There was no doubt that it is what had happened, judging by the thick smell of blood in the air. It wasn't noticeable below with all of the level ends rampaging around. But now… Zero had never felt so disgusted in his life. This vampire was truly a shameful one. He didn't want to use his power as a noble vampire but this _disgrace of a vampire_ was testing his patience more and more. He almost lashed out in anger before he regained control of his aura.

Maybe it was a good thing that Kaname wasn't here after all. He didn't want the pureblood to know about him being a vampire because it meant that Kaname had to know about his family, his messed-up past. There were certain areas of it that he didn't want to relive. _I_ _can't get away_, Zero thought._ The past will follow me, wherever I go._

He breathed deeply as he turned the knob of the door and opened it. The scene that greeted them was something they never expected. Kaito held in the urge to shout some curse words at what he saw. He had been a hunter since he was a child and he had witnessed some terrible scenes here and there but this was just plain… _repulsive_. Shielle merely closed her eyes and looked away from the scene. How could such a thing happen? Now they understood why Zero had trouble keeping himself from lashing out in anger. The reason why he spoke that way about this vampire as though it was nothing more than a piece of garbage.

The rooftop was covered by a dome that allowed streams of light from the moon. Even from the doorway, they all witnessed the carnage it hid. The floors and the walls were splattered with blood, some still fresh and others as though it had been there for a while. There were bodies of humans discarded in the corner and they could see not only puncture marks but claw marks as well. Most of them were naked and the vacant look in their eyes was those of pure terror.

"Lowly vampires must submit to their superiors. This is the law among vampires for the duration of their lives. I personally do not care about such trivial things but the one who did this was truly the lowest. A vampire without a shred of pride and dignity. Just a piece of garbage whose name isn't worth mentioning. Don't you think so as well?" Zero said coldly as he stared in front of him. To an individual hidden in the shadows and whose flashing eyes burned with rage at his chosen words.

"I am the true king of the night. I take orders from no one!" the vampire shouted as he rushed towards Zero and others. They evaded instantly and the impact of the blow shattered the floor. Debris flew in all directions as the vampire straightened up and looked fiercely at them.

Shielle was surprised by this vampire's nerve after what Zero had told him. That law was something that all vampires should follow. She knew that the law was important to vampires. Zero was a high-ranking vampire as well but he never really upheld the law. Her friend hated that kind of thing and he interacted just normally with lower level vampires like the ex-humans back at the association. There were times however that Zero did use his authority over vampires and she guessed that this was one of them.

The vampire in front of them suddenly shifted its form and all of them knew that it was a transformation. It was becoming a vampire in its truest form. The human-like creature in front of them melted into the darkness. In its place came a strange reptilian like creature. Something like a lizard but fiercer than one. It only meant that they were fighting a former noble. Still, it didn't change anything for them. This vampire had to be put down permanently.

"I expected something out of this farce, but I never thought you'd be this close to it. But it was entertaining, don't you think so, _stray vampire_?" Zero said in the same cold tone as he stared at the enemy with his steely silver gaze. His eyes bore no hint of the remorse and sadness he felt when he killed those level ends. This vampire truly deserved a painful death. "_Disgusting_. True forms reveal one's heart. You're just an incarnation of your self-pride and arrogance. Sound about right? _How pitiful_," he said once again as he gazed fixedly at its form. He could clearly see that his words were deeply affecting the vampire but he didn't care in the least. He meant every one of those words despite how insulting it was.

"Shut up!" the vampire shouted as he raised his large claws to crush this silver-haired young man in front of him. He had enough of that person's insults and he wanted nothing more than to tear him into pieces. He gazed at the young man and saw the once silver gaze flash to a bright crimson. Suddenly his motion stopped before he could reach that person. It was as if he was immobilized on the stop and he didn't have control of his body any longer. Gone were his anger, in its place was intense fear. "Who… are you?" he asked fearfully.

_The power of a strong vampire…_

Kaito had been acquainted with a number of vampires ever since he was at Cross Academy and it was there that he learned that maybe vampires weren't so bad after all. He had grown up hating them after his brother was turned into one and descended into madness. But then, Zero and the others changed his views. Despite their nature, they possessed a human heart. As he stared at the scene before him, he never expected a vampire's power to be this different and frightening. Is this why Zero never really used his? Was he afraid of what people would think of him? These were questions only Zero could answer after all.

"I am a descendant from a noble bloodline of great vampires and hunters. For that reason, I am faithful to my heritage," Zero said as he glared at the immobilized vampire in front of him. He felt a bit of satisfaction as he saw the fear in its eyes. The same look those humans had before they were ruthlessly killed by this monster. His crimson eyes glowed fiercely as he thought of those things. There was no reason to let this vampire live anymore. Both the council and the association have already passed judgment. "In my name, I command you: _die_," he ordered.

The vampire's eyes widened in fear as he heard the name and felt cold terror rushing through his being as he heard the order. "I don't want to…" he said as he tried to gain control of his traitorous limbs. Claws intending to bury itself deep into his body and crushing his heart. He struggled deeply but it seemed to no avail. As one of his hands punctured through his flesh, spraying blood everywhere that the three individuals there had to move away.

The creature's body fell with a loud thud on the ground stained crimson with its blood. Just like all vampires, its body would soon turn into dust. Though the duration of time would be different from the lower level ends. With its death, it meant that the mission was over. Their hunt had just ended.

Silence reigned in once again as they found out that they couldn't think of anything to say. What else could they say after they witnessed that scene? It had just proved that vampires were… well kind of different. Sure, both Kaito and Shielle had heard of it from others but this was probably the first time they saw it like this. But in spite of that, it really didn't make a difference in their opinion of Zero. Sure, he was pretty cold-blooded and merciless just now. But weren't they the same. They really thought that their enemy was the lowest. That it really deserved to die.

"Now that this is over. Let's head back to the office. I'm sure that the disposal squad will handle the rest," Shielle said gently as she took Zero's hand and quickly pulled him away. As she passed Kaito, she also did the same. Really, these two should lighten up a bit at times. How long had they really known each other?

The tense atmosphere died down as Shielle continued to pull the two away from the rooftop. Away from that bloodshed and back to their home. After all of this, the three of them would be in need of a good rest. That was the thought that passed through Shielle's mind as she led the way.

Zero gave a small smile as his friend continued to hold his hand and pull him away from that place. Kaito was protesting with the gesture but it seemed to no avail as Shielle refused to let go. Trust her to lighten up the mood sometimes. Maybe he didn't need to think so much of what happened. It was inevitable that it would end that way. He didn't mean to use his powers but he was pretty pissed off and somehow, it all went downhill from there. He had taken advantage of a lower level's obedience and used it. Though he was aware that it only worked on rare occasions. It truly left him feeling off-balance until Shielle took action. As they continued their way, their moods seemed to return to normal. And their interactions losing the tenseness from before.

The three of them went to the black van parked in front of the building. Kaito tossed the keys to Shielle indicating that it was her turn to drive and headed to the backseat. The latter caught it easily and walked over to the driver's seat. Zero headed to the front of the car as well and opened the door. He didn't go inside quickly and opted to stare at the top of the building they were in. His gaze traveled to the figure there, sitting on the ledge and looking at them.

Zero felt the familiar presence of that individual and despite the mask that hid that person's face; he knew that their gazes were locked onto each other. How long had it been since that day? Since that incident happened and everything almost fell apart. Nothing else would happen today; this was just a simple greeting. The person there stood up but still kept looking at them. Something glinted as it caught the light of the moon. Something silver…

"Zero, is something wrong?" Kaito's concerned voice broke through his thoughts. And he suddenly tore his gaze away from that masked person. He noticed that both of his friends were staring at him.

"No. Nothing's wrong. Don't worry about it," Zero said lightly as he climbed in and Shielle started the van. Satisfied with his answer, the two didn't question him any further.

Zero had a feeling that she was involved somehow and he knew that he needed to face her again to know if it was true. The deaths of some hunters in the association didn't seem to be just random killings and he saw that it wasn't the work of vampires. He remembered her words back then.

"_You should have realized it by now. Vampires and humans are not meant to live together. Just pretending that you're like the others. But the humans don't treat you as one of them. They don't like you. They hate you. Do you still want to live in such a place? This is hell. This is one hypocritical town. To people like us, this world is painful. Don't you think so? That's why, let's rebuild this world together. Using our two hands."_

As they drove away from the building, Zero could only wonder why she was there of all places. Is there a reason or just a coincidence? Despite everything else that happened, the only thing that bothered him as they headed back home was that memory. That one thing that all of them shared.

_The memory of that betrayal…_


	8. Dancing in the Darkness

**A/N: **Hi there to all readers! First of all, I would like to thank all those who've reviewed the last chapter and helped inspire me to write another one. I've been pretty busy studying for my approaching midterm exams that I haven't been able to write anything for the past few days. But I had a bit of a free time and a little bout of inspiration that I decided to create another chapter. There will be lots of things happening around in this part and also a bit of Kaname and Zero interaction. Anyway, I've been dragging on with this note so here's the continuation of the story and I hope that you guys would like it… ^_^

Please Read and Review… ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Dancing in the Darkness**

"Haven't been to such a gruesome scene in a long time. What's the weapon?" Touga Yagari asked seriously as he regarded the bloody mess in an alley on the far corners of the city. The three victims were hardly recognizable anymore as humans and if he was a normal person, he would have already been heaving his guts somewhere. "This isn't the work of a single person," he continued after a while as he observed the mutilated bodies.

"Some conceivable hypothesis includes feuding amongst vampires and hunters. Or someone was creating havoc with a weapon. Laceration markings, as if the bodies were torn apart," another hunter said as he poured through the notes given to him by the investigation squad a few hours earlier. "Blades weren't used at all," he added as he noticed the side note on the paper.

Yagari regarded the statement for a moment and paused to light his cigarette. He grimaced as he thought about how things are getting worse as time passed by. None of them had any idea about the culprit in these crimes and Zero had been running himself ragged trying to solve the mess they were in. The Vampire Council strongly believed that the Hunter's Association was involved in the crime but that was impossible at all. Zero would never start something as foolish as this.

Besides, it wasn't as if only the vampires had casualty. In their end, several murders had befallen some hunters during their mission. Starting with Marco Laforet, already four hunters were killed in action. Was there any point to this mess aside from creating a rift between the two organizations? His former student seemed to have some sort of vague idea and it made him quite curious to know what it was.

"Then… explosives?" Yagari asked uncertainly as he blew a puff of smoke from his cigarette and stared at the skies as though in deep thought.

"Negative, sir. If explosives were used, there would be charred remnants," the other hunter answered his question as the two of them departed from the scene to head back to the office.

Yagari sighed deeply. "That's true," he said as he raked a hand frustratedly in his hair.

"Furthermore, the wounds give an impression as if they were eaten by a… carnivore," the other hunter mentioned tentatively. From his tone of voice, it seemed that he didn't believe that whatever attacked those people was something they had never seen before and most likely very hard to believe.

"A carnivore…" Yagari repeated as he tried to rack his brains for something. The word seemed to strike a chord in him and he was sure that he had heard that word before back in the association. He wondered whether it was from passing rumors or some reports he read. But whatever it was, he knew that answer would lie in his vague memory.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

"Oh, Zero-rin…" Kaien Cross mentioned out of surprise as he saw the silver-haired young man sitting near the fountain of the academy. He never expected to see Zero back here at the academy after all these time since this place still carried a lot of painful memories for everyone else involved with that particular incident. "Is something wrong? You're just spacing out in a place like this…" he asked as he joined the quiet young man.

"How many do I have to ask you to please stop calling me by that weird name? Anyway, I was supposed to me Kuran here to talk about the next mission," Zero answered automatically as he shifted his gaze to Kaien Cross. Ever since he graduated at this academy, he hadn't been here for quite a while. As he looked at things, not much had changed after all these years. With a sigh, he decided to be honest with the chairman. "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm thinking about some stuff…"

"You can talk to me about that _stuff _you're thinking about," Cross said gently to his former student. Zero had always been the closest person he could associate to be his own child. He had known the young hunter for many years and he also knew the things that Zero went through. "You look pretty depressed lately," he noted as he watched the young man's amethyst eyes.

"It's about the incidents happening lately… there are some weird rumors around the streets and all over the city…" Zero said seriously.

"Weird rumors?" Cross asked skeptically as he watched the young man's grave features. He knew then that things weren't looking too good for everyone.

"Yeah, like the murderer_ is_ part of the Hunter's Association," Zero uttered apathetically and he heard Cross' gasp of surprise at the implication of those words.

"That's absurd. Do you honestly believe that?" the chairman asked disbelievingly.

"Of course I don't, but… but something dangerous will probably happen if the rumor gets around. Especially since the relation between the Hunter's Association and the Vampire Council are strained enough as they are," Zero said seriously.

_The balance of this city certainly is hanging over a precipice, _Cross thought deeply. "Zero… I'll look into the murders as well," he offered. Maybe he could at least lend hand to the young hunter. He knew that Zero had been overworking himself again.

Zero didn't miss the seriousness of the older hunter in front of him and the way the chairman had said his name. Cross had only used his name properly when he was being serious with things. The young hunter could see from the sharp gaze of the chairman why he was also a well-known hunter. Of course, Zero had always known that, given that Cross was acquainted with his parents. Still, it was quite different seeing it up close. He smiled a little at the chairman's offer.

"Somewhere in this city is the real criminal. Catching them will soothe the misunderstandings between the Hunter's Association and the Vampire Council," Zero mentioned as he stared at the sky for a moment before turning back to the chairman.

"I don't know if it'll be that easy," Cross said skeptically. "Neither the association nor the council is really a single organization. Some of them will probably take advantage of the misunderstanding to hurt people. If that keeps up, it'll be a real war," he added as he also stood up and dusted some dirt from his clothes.

"I won't let that thing happen," Zero answered determinedly.

"It might not be too late to stop it but time is growing short, Zero," Cross told him. "There's no way for you to stop the culprits alone," he added as he remembered Zero's tendency to do things alone.

"I know that already, that's why I'm thinking about some of those things before coming up with a plan," Zero told him as he watched the chairman's eyes widen in surprise.

"You do?"

"Well, apparently _someone_ told me that I don't have to do things alone anymore and that he'll be there to help me anytime," the young hunter said and he saw the chairman smile at his answer. Maybe he had changed so much since meeting the pureblood. Ever since the promise that Kaname made, he felt better than before. He didn't know what feeling to put into that, but it was nonetheless a good one.

Cross really wanted to thank the person who said those things to the young hunter.

"Anyway, I guess Kaname-kun's waiting for you so get out of here. You're bound to get caught up in something just zoning out in this type of place," Cross said cheerfully as he ushered Zero to get a move on and look for the pureblood. He was a bit glad that the two learned to get along after all those years. He said his goodbye as the young hunter walked towards the academy lake.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

Zero was leaning back against the tree located near the academy lake while Kaname sat beside him. The place seemed very peaceful and not many venture to this place much. He had just finished discussing things with the pureblood and the two of them were just there now to take a break from all of their duties.

Kaname couldn't help but feel at ease whenever he was with Zero. It seemed so long since he had been paired up with the young hunter, and then thinking that things would be quite different from that day on. Everyday it seemed, his feelings for the hunter were steadily growing and he was afraid that one day he might lose this special person. Since he was young, he lost so much. Yet sometimes those hurt were driven away by these different experiences which were memorable to him. Zero made it very special for him after all.

"Kaname, have you ever been betrayed? Have you ever been hurt by someone you trusted without understanding why?" Zero said seriously as he continued to lean back against the tree with his eyes closed. He and Kaname had agreed to call each other by their first names when it was just the two of them. Anyway, Zero thought initially that maybe the pureblood needed to learn about this fact or rather this certain topic. Kaname didn't need to learn the whole truth about the association but maybe just a little story related to that topic wouldn't hurt anyone.

"No, I haven't really experienced something like that," Kaname said as he looked at Zero wondering why the hunter asked that question from out of the blue.

"It… happened to me a long time ago. And I'm sure that the others like Kaito could tell you what happened as well. Even this time, you might be caught up in something like that," Zero told Kaname as he opened his eyes to gaze at the lake. The pureblood could see that there was something different reflected in the hunter's eyes. Was it pain? Or anger? Or both? "A few years back, all of us from the association met each other. At first, we didn't quite hit it off and there were lots of arguments here and there. But later on, we did manage to tolerate each other's presence. There was a young woman there who was already on par with everyone who worked at the association. She was not a vampire hunter yet she was a very well-known individual. She joined our organization later on. Some of us looked up to her and she was considered as everyone's friend. But we didn't expect something unexpected would happen to her," he continued in a serious tone as he relived that memory from so long ago.

"What happened, Zero? Did something happen?" Kaname asked hesitantly as he realized where this story was heading.

"Months later she started acting differently and she began isolating herself from us. Something must've happened to her but we didn't know until it was too late. She became isolated from everyone else and she never went back to her home for days. We tried to dissuade her from whatever it was she was doing but it seemed that we couldn't do anything. She told us that we didn't know anything and it was all because of one person that she was like that. She committed lots of terrible things and in the end, she died a sad and terrible death," Zero finished and the both of them lapsed into silence. He didn't want to talk about it but somehow telling it to Kaname was the right thing to do. It was like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. After all, he can't stay there. There's no need to look back at the wreckage of a past that's already over. He had to move on eventually especially if he wanted to be with Kaname. He knew that he couldn't really tell Kaname everything about his past, but maybe he could little by little.

_One day I just have to get back what I lost and what was taken from me,_ Zero thought deeply. Maybe this time, he could be together with the pureblood without worrying about what would happen in the future.

Kaname couldn't believe that it happened all those years ago to Zero. He couldn't fathom how it felt to be betrayed by someone you trusted so much. It must've hurt a lot. Upon hearing that, he wanted with all his might to fulfill his promise to Zero that time in their last mission. He would always keep it no matter what. As he looked at the hunter, he didn't know what to say. What was the right thing to tell him? It annoyed him that his talent with words failed him in the presence of this young hunter. _I can't ever keep a cool head when it comes to Zero. I don't ever want to see the one I love taken from me before my eyes again,_ Kaname thought to himself.

"That is not the place you or I should come or return to. Even if we trap ourselves in the ruins of the past, nothing good will come of it. So don't think too much about it. What's important is what's happening now," Zero said softly as he looked at Kaname's sad features. Why does the pureblood always seem to be affected by things that didn't concern him? He smiled as he thought about Kaname. Others might not see it, but he was just too kind for his own good. Zero was sure now after all the times he had spent with the pureblood that he didn't just care for him, he might have some deeper feelings than just plain friendship. The first time he met Kaname, he wasn't sure of his feelings. Yet the countless times they had been partnered up and the conversations he had with the pureblood, helped nurtured these confusing and contradictory feelings. _There's no way I could say "I love you" that easily. Not since I learned that those three little words are full of these precious feelings._

"Zero, you've often been talking about things like these. Is your past really that painful and dark?" Kaname said as he shifted his position to face him and change the subject. "You're always afraid of something. It looks as if you're running away from something, but I've always thought that it didn't matter. Even if you don't tell me anything… no… that's not what I wanted to say. I only want to be with you…" he added as he decided to be honest with himself in front of Zero. He suddenly stopped as he watched Zero's piercing gaze at him before straightening himself.

"You're right, Kaname. I did experience a lot of painful things during the course of my life. I hate to remember those things but I guess running away from them wouldn't solve anything," Zero said quietly as he gazed at Kaname's garnet eyes and he could clearly see the worry within them. _The things happening in this city may look like they're unrelated, but they're probably connected somewhere. They probably carry a distorted truth unfathomable in our minds. But… I only realized this just now, but I seem to like our current relationship. Even if the points begin to connect someday, and that reveals something we can't see right now, I firmly believe that our relationship won't change,_ Zero thought determinedly as he kept his gaze on the pureblood. He was scared that maybe Kaname would not like the past he was trying to keep a secret.

"I'm sorry, Zero. I shouldn't have made you remember such things. But you're doing well now, right? You're not having much trouble about it…" Kaname said earnestly as he continued to gaze at Zero's amethyst orbs. He wanted so much to help the hunter and to ease his pain._ I was right in saying that his eyes were one that curses the unfairness of life. He had a harsh life. Yet he's always trying to fight it. To prove that his life had been a meaningful one._

"I'm fine now, I guess. What I really want more than anything right now… is to buy enough time to settle everything regarding my unresolved past. That's all. After that… I don't know," Zero said gently as he looked at the peaceful view of the lake. He couldn't tell Kaname that maybe after he resolved everything else, he would consider being honest with his feelings for once. Something that everyone he knew reminded him on a daily basis.

"No matter what kind of past you had, don't lose sight of yourself. No matter what happens, I'll be here by your side. I have every intention to keep my promise to you," Kaname said determinedly and he felt glad that he once again heard Zero laugh lightly as he gazed at the hunter. _I love him. So much that I don't even know what to do with myself anymore, I really… I would do anything for the one I love, so, I'm sorry. I didn't know when these feelings started. To keep you beside me, I'll do anything… I love you so helplessly much…_ Kaname thought afterwards. Maybe the time will come that he could say it to Zero clearly. But now was not that time. Not when everything was so damn confusing.

"I know you will and I believe you. You're always like that, Kaname," Zero said gently as he gazed at the pureblood_. __I want to protect the present. I want to continue to protect you and the happiness you make me feel right now. That's why… it's not about looking up or down. It's not about winning or losing. I just want to walk forward with you, _he thought as he looked at person who was slowly moving his frozen heart. The only person who could seriously evoke these feelings from him.

Time seemed to freeze that moment as they etched those feelings into their hearts. Zero was right; there was no need to look back at the unchangeable past. What mattered was the present. As they gazed at each other, only one thought came to Kaname's mind… It's not the last one. This is only the beginning. I will walk down my path together with you… even if I had to hurt others to make sure you're safe…

_The snow that falls quietly… so calm and quiet that it is startling… it's so beautiful, amazingly beautiful…_

_Winter season began and snow fell throughout the grounds of the mansion where I lived in a heavy blanket of white. Everything looked so beautiful and peaceful yet my heart was shattering bit by bit as the days continued to pass by. It was very lonely and cold that everything looked like a barren wasteland of which only I existed. It was as if everything was devoid of color and feelings. I didn't know why I felt that way all those years ago but I knew that somehow this season suited me the most. I always thought that I was alone in that winter wonderland. There was no one else but me. As the fleeting snow drifted throughout the skies, I vaguely wondered if there was someone who could save me from this hell. This life where I had nothing else._

_Even I am amazed by the sight… the lonely… shaking… and helpless me… that's why I think that this must be a dream. A snowy-white dream… _

_The servants of that mansion bowed to me in respect and they spoke of kind words that I felt I didn't deserve. How many of them truly meant those words? Just because I was a noble vampire, they say those things in fear that I may hurt them or such. Was I really nothing more than just a monster? If he comes back, I know that he would look at me the same way. He would treat me the same way and say that I'm not fit enough to be the next head if I kept up with my naïve thinking. The way I think about it, I'm nothing more than a prisoner in this place. Until the day, that everything would be passed on to me. Deep inside me I felt something terrible would happen but I thought it was only my imagination._

_I know that I will eventually wake up. But I still want to continue until the end. It's like a premonition forming inside my heart._

_As a sat in my room in front of the window, I saw someone who I never expected to see after what happened. Here I thought that I was alone but that person told me that I didn't need to be alone anymore. That he would do everything to help me. I didn't know why but I found myself believing his words despite how stupid it may seem. I had been in this place for a long time and no one came to help me. Why should it be any different now? Yet, I seriously hoped that it would come true because I felt that I would lose myself completely if I continued to stay here. I knew then that I didn't want to be alone anymore. _

_It's like tears suddenly dropping out under the sunlight. It's like hoping for spring to arrive in winter. Showing forth that new beginning…_

_Everything was a haze in the following months. A jumble of sights and sounds, none of which I could identify. One day, I felt people holding me close and taking me away. Their grips were so strong that it penetrated through the confusion that surrounded me. I didn't understand anything anymore and I felt as if I lost something irreplaceable. My memories were a blur and now, I didn't know anything anymore. Even if I wanted to, I found myself not being able to shed my tears. Suddenly, I was enveloped in a warm embrace and I looked up to see Yagari's eyes upon me. As he took me away from that nightmare, I heard the unmistakable sound of bells from the distance._

Zero opened his eyes and stared at the thick canopy of leaves of the tree in which he leaned on. _That dream again,_ he thought to himself as he shifted to a more sitting position. He hadn't had that dream for quite some time now. He then looked at the horizon and saw that it was afternoon already. He vaguely wondered how long he had been asleep. The last thing he remembered was talking to Kaname about some things. Come to think of it, where was the pureblood? Suddenly he felt a weight beside him and saw Kaname asleep as well.

His eyes softened as he gazed at the pureblood's sleeping features. Somehow, being this close to Kaname drove away the pain and hurt of the dream he had. This was probably the first time he woke up without ever feeling those kinds of things. It seemed that he was relying too much on Kaname instead of the other way around. He could see that he wasn't the only one overworking. He was careful not to wake Kaname up though. He never knew that doing these kind of things could make him feel at peace. Things had been so hectic that everything seemed so full of confusion like there was no time to relax.

Kaname woke up a few minutes later and at first he was wondering why he was outside. He could see the lake in the distance and the way the sun shone in the horizon, it was afternoon already. Suddenly everything came to him in a rush, the meeting with Zero and those revelations. After a while, he glanced at his side to see Zero staring at the distance as though in deep thought. He pushed himself upright and saw that Zero was now staring at him softly. How embarrassing is this, he fell asleep beside the hunter. But it didn't feel bad at all. On the contrary, it was embarrassingly peaceful like this. He never actually felt like this in a while. With Zero, he could be himself.

"I apologize if I fell asleep like that on you. I didn't bother you in anyway, did I?" Kaname asked as he sat beside Zero. This wasn't the first time he fell asleep like this in Zero's presence. He breathed a sight of relief when the hunter told that he didn't really mind and that he had a good rest as well. Kaname suddenly wished that he woke up earlier to see Zero's sleeping features. It was unfair the hunter woke up before he did. He must've overworked himself if that is the case. Suddenly, he remembered that Zero looked deep in thought and he looked troubled as well. Kaname didn't want to pry into matters but he was a bit curious. It didn't hurt to ask and if Zero didn't want to tell him, it was quite alright. "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here to listen. Whatever comes along, you always try to carry it by yourself. It's about damn time you realized all of your efforts to keep me from worrying only make me worry all the more," he added seriously.

Zero looked mildly surprised at Kaname's offer but he got over it as he watched the pureblood's sincere features. There was no reason to hide things from the pureblood since he would probably never tell anyone about it. Just as Kaname trusted him, he trusted the pureblood too. Besides, he was thinking about that dream and it wasn't entirely a secret. Heck, most people from the association knew about it. So there was practically no reason to hide it. It wasn't even entirely a secret. Without second thought, he told Kaname about that dream and the reality it spoke of though he was careful to omit some particularly important details. He knew that he was laying his emotions open again but Kaname would never betray his trust.

"You're strong. If some others had memories like that, they'd want to just sit back and disappear. But you're fighting it always," Kaname said earnestly as she looked away from Zero for awhile._ He's always fighting so hard and his eyes didn't seem to waver despite everything he had been through. _ He saw it clearly in Zero's eyes that he couldn't mistake it for anything else. He knew that there were lots of things he didn't know about Zero but he was glad that the hunter trusted him enough now to share some of those things even those painful memories.

"At that time, I felt that I shouldn't give up. There are still things that I could do after all. But I guess I could never do it alone if the others didn't help me. They made me remember that there really is meaning to life," Zero said quietly as he remembered those days when he lost almost everything and felt the world crushing him down. Without Cross' and Yagari's support, he would have never found meaning to himself and he would never have gotten this right now, Kaname was giving him more reason to believe in the future.

_He really does live in a different world. If I don't grab a hold of him, he'll leave and go someplace else. _

That thought sent a spike of fear and hurt in Kaname. He was too much attached to the hunter that he couldn't bear the possibility that because they're too different from each other, Zero would leave him someday. Zero really occupied a lot of his world and he felt he would be lost without the hunter by his side. "It's weird that you have to hold it in. its okay to say it hurts when it hurts. Restraining yourself for a little while is fine, but restraining yourself for a long time isn't because it'll put a lot of stress on your body," Kaname said as he looked back at Zero.

"Your views are different from those of normal people, Kaname. What's normal and ordinary to everyone is something that you treasure dearly. That is why when I look at you, I fall in love with the present. Even if it's boring, it has its own significance. It's just that everyone like me has forgotten about it," Zero said openly as he smiled a little at the pureblood. Only Kaname would be able to evoke such reactions from him. He never really realized he could smile so openly like this and just try being normal for once. With Kaname, he didn't have to think about him being a vampire or a hunter or anything else for that matter. Maybe everyone was right, he really did enjoy being with the pureblood. Was it really that obvious?

Kaname brimmed with unbidden joy at what Zero told him. He never knew that he managed to accomplish one of his goals. He wanted Zero to find some meaning in happiness and he wanted to see the hunter smile often. When he found out about some of Zero's painful memories, he felt the stab of pain in his heart. Zero didn't deserve that messed-up experience. If he could take away that pain, he would probably be very accomplished and contented.

"By the way, Kaname. Didn't you ever feel scared when you helped me that time in some of the missions or when you saved civilians from the level ends?" Zero asked casually as he stared at Kaname with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He had always wondered why Kaname was so dedicated to helping him all the time.

"I did feel it at first but it didn't matter later on. Anyway, what's wrong with me protecting you?" Kaname said curiously as he watched Zero's gaze before him. It seemed so long ago since those things happened.

"I didn't say you were wrong, but it was rather unexpected that you would stand out and protect someone from harm," Zero said as an answer to the pureblood's question.

"I have no choice. I can't just stand there without doing anything especially if it concerns someone I am very familiar with," Kaname pressed on without hesitation.

"So you'll save your friends, regardless of what situation they're in, even if it'll get you injured?" Zero teased lightly as he gazed at the pureblood's set features. He thought that Kaname was also pretty reckless like that.

"Of course, I'll save you no matter how many times it takes as long as you keep on getting yourself in trouble," Kaname said to Zero who only stared at him apathetically. Suddenly, he heard Zero's laughter. It wasn't a light one he always heard. It was a genuine laughter and he felt himself laughing alongside the hunter. He never heard Zero laugh like this and thought it was precious hearing it.

"That's really reliable of you… I'll hold onto that word, Kaname," Zero said after he got over that phase and he smiled warmly at the pureblood. He was surprised at first but he felt his heart skip a bit at that statement. Kaname really shifted his world out of proportions but it felt really nice. He would never regret meeting the pureblood at all just like he told himself a couple of times. Only Kaname would be able to glimpse this side of him. Only him… and no one else…

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

The streets were awakening as Zero walked along the city at dawn. Market stalls were beginning to open; beggars were shuffling to their favorite spots. Smells of roaster chestnuts and jacket potatoes were beginning to rise from the street vendor's dark iron oven-carts. Cabs rattled this way and that, scarcely heeding pedestrians as they clopped and clattered over the cobblestones.

The house that he lived in with the others when there were missions to be done stood under the foreboding gaze of the Cathedral. It was a grandiose, terraced affair, with a door and a bay window on its ground floor, and two more windows above it. The top floor had several tall studio windows, intended to maximize the light. A black iron railing guarded its precious few square meters of flagged front yard. Dull green in color, with beige stone sills and steps, it was not a pretty place, merely a functional one.

It was several stories high and there were some hunters who also took residence in this building as well as some vampires who seemed to get along well with humans. Zero took several flights of stairs before he reached his room and he decided to take a good rest for a while. He leaned on the doorframe and sighed as he thought about the things happening all around. Kaname had always assured him that everything would turn out fine in the end. Despite his doubts, he wanted to believe the pureblood.

_I can't stop thinking of him. I don't know why, but my heart aches every time I do, _he thought deeply.

Suddenly, Zero heard the distant sound of footsteps in the stairwell, footsteps that were moving up towards him. He looked toward the stair door, his gaze narrowing as he listened. Two sets of steps. Two sets of heartbeats. One human. One not.

He pushed away from the doorframe he was leaning on.

He turned and walked toward the stairwell located at the end of the hall. The footsteps stopped, and for several seconds, all he could hear was the drumming of hearts in the apartments around him. Then the footsteps echoed on the stairs again, this time heading down in a hurry.

Zero slammed through the stairwell door and took the stairs two at a time. The two men were several floors below him, their footsteps as rapid as their hearts. The second man had the feel of a hunter rather than a human. Had they been intending to do something here? If so, why run when they sensed _his_ presence? The fact that they did might mean they knew who he was. Might know something about the attacks happening all over the damn place.

He heard the door open and close, and he swore. He couldn't afford to lose them now. Leaping over the banister, he dropped to the floor, jarring his spine for the first time in an hour. He pushed through the door and saw the men running down the street.

He ran after them. The sun caressed his skin, warming without burning. It was only just morning, and the sky was clear.

The men took a left at the first street and disappeared. He followed them with his vampire senses, all the while closing in. They were fast, even the human, but not fast enough.

He turned the corner. Saw the two of them just ahead. One long and lanky, a male who seemed to exude something different in his aura and the other bald and thick set like a boxer.

A slight hiss cut the air, approaching fast from his right. He dodged, but something hit his shoulder, the force of the blow spinning him around. Warmth flooded his back and side, and fire began to burn through his veins. It was no ordinary bullet he'd been shot with, but one made of silver. Or rather, an anti-vampire one.

Dizziness hit him. He staggered for several steps then pressed a hand against the nearby wall. Sweat broke out across his brow, and the pavement seemed to be doing a drunken dance. He blinked and looked ahead. The two men were dark shapes that danced erratically as the pavement. But they were looming closer rather than running away.

He swore and spun around. Only his feet wouldn't obey his orders and he found himself falling head first to the pavement.

Pain smashed through the confusion, swamping his mind, swamping his senses.

As darkness closed in, two thoughts crossed his mind.

The bullet had been tipped with some sort of drug.

And he was going to make Kaname worry more about him again.


	9. Trigger of Conviction

**A/N: **Hi there to all readers! I'm sorry for a late update since I've been out of town for quite a while handling some field research project for my university requirements. Anyway, as soon as I got back I began writing the continuation of the last chapter's cliffhanger ending. After some hours of hard work, I managed to finally finish another chapter… ^_^ I would also like to tell you guys how glad I am that you liked where this story is heading and thank you for supporting me with your reviews. I am quite welcome and open for some suggestions of what you would like to see here in this story as well.

I've just finished the plot outline and separated the important events to several different parts that would be connected to each other very closely. I would roughly estimate this story to last twenty chapters or so but not more than thirty. Anyway, I still don't know how long I would be able to update next but hopefully, it would be pretty soon. Well, I've been dragging on for quite some time now… ^_^

Please Read and Review…

* * *

**Chapter Nine – Trigger of Conviction**

Very faintly, Shielle Adnade could hear the sound of voices coming from the office. They were done with all their shouting in the hall. Time to get out. She crossed the room to the window she'd been forcing open. Cool air spilled through it – it was one of those days when the sky seemed impossibly blue and distant and the air was faintly tinged with the smell of smoke coming from some factories or vehicles.

She scooted onto the window sill and looked down. It would have been a worrying jump for her before she's been trained as a vampire hunter; now she spared only a moment's thought for everyone in the office before leaping. She knew that she was taking a great risk leaving like this with all the incidents concerning the missing hunters and murdered noble vampires. She landed in a crouch on the cracked concrete of the alley. Straightening up, she glanced back at the building, but no one threw a door open or called out to her to come back at all even with all the noise she made.

She fought down an errant stab of disappointment. It wasn't as if they'd paid that much attention to her when she _was_ in the office, she thought, scrambling up the high chain-link fence that blocked the alley from the main street, so why would they notice that she's left the place? She was clearly an afterthought, just as she'd always been even during in missions and briefings. The only one who'd treated her as if she was of any importance was Zero Kiryuu.

The thought of Zero made her wince as she dropped down onto the other side of the fence and jogged up the alley to some Avenue. She'd said to Kaito once that she didn't remember what happened the second time she and Zero met, but it wasn't true. She always remembered the look on his face when she'd recoiled from him – as if it were imprinted on the backs of her eyelids. The strangest thing was that in that moment when she had discovered the truth about him, he had still looked human to her, more human than almost anyone she'd ever known.

She crossed the street that was nearly deserted and headed toward the subway, her mind still on Zero. There was a hollow place in the pit of her stomach that ached when she thought of him. She never expected to be working for him after she graduated on a hunter school and she was amazed that someone so young like him could lead an organization. She spent every waking day trying to impress him and to have him smile at her. He was the first person she'd wanted to trust in years, and he'd made trusting him seemed impossible that fateful night.

_Of course, if trusting him seemed impossible, then why are you on your way to see him right now?_ Came the whisper in the back of her mind that always spoke to her in Shari's voice. _Shut up,_ she told herself firmly._ I do trust him now and I'll spend my lifetime making up for my mistake that night._

_It can't be helped if you really despise vampires… but you can judge us after understanding more of this world and us._ Zero had told her those words that time and she felt guilty for hurting him with her words and actions. She should've controlled herself more and listened to what everyone had to say. That mistake truly cost her and ever since then she kept her distance, addressing him as Kiryuu-sama always. She constantly thought he resented her but she thought wrong, didn't she?

The person she had always admired never harbored those emotions for her and she only realized that when they danced a few days ago at the gathering. The way he held her with gentleness and warmth had her heart soaring through such heights. No one else except Marco had made her feel that she belonged.

Someone laughed. The sound echoed off the high factory walls on her left. Her heart contracting with sudden fear, Shielle whirled around, but the street behind her was empty. There was only an old man waling his dogs along the other street, but Shielle doubted he was within shouting distance.

She sped up her pace in that instant. She could out walk most people, she reminded herself, not to mention out run them. Even if she looked quite fragile and innocent with her long, light blue hair and aqua blue eyes. As well as her pale skin and doll-like features, she was very capable of handling things and taking care of herself. It wasn't as if she had anything to fear from a mugger or rapist. Two teenage boys armed with knives had tried to grab her while she was walking through the central park one night after she first came to this city, and only her own sense of justice kept her from killing them both.

_So why was she so panicked?_

She glanced behind her. The old man was gone; the whole place was deserted. The old abandoned factory rose up in front of her. Seized by a sudden urge to get off the street, she ducked down the alley beside it.

She found herself in a narrow space between two buildings, full of garbage, discarded bottles, the skittering of rats. The roofs above her touched, blocking out the sun and making her feel as if she had ducked into a tunnel. The walls were brick, set with small, dirty windows, many of which had been smashed in by vandals. Through them she could see the abandoned factory floor and row after row of metal boilers, furnaces, and vats. The air smelled of burned sugar. She leaned against the walls, trying to still the pounding of her heart. She had almost succeeded in calming herself down when an impossibly familiar voice spoke to her out of the shadows:

"Shielle?"

She whirled around. A young woman was standing at the entrance to the alley, her hair lit from behind, shining like a halo around her beautiful face. Dark blue eyes fringed with long lashes regarded her curiously. She was wearing a black skirt, and, despite the chill in the air, a short-sleeved blouse. She still looked to be in her teens.

"_Shari,_" she whispered.

Shielle wanted to run, but her legs felt like bags of water. She pressed herself back against the wall as if she could disappear into it. "But – you're _dead._"

"Any you didn't even shed a tear at my funeral, did you, Shielle? Not one tears for your own elder sister?"

"You were a monster," she whispered. "You tried to kill me –"

"Not hard enough." There was something long and sharp in her hand now, something that gleamed like silver fire in the dimness. Shielle wasn't sure what it was; her vision was blurred by terror. She slid to the ground as her sister moved toward her, her legs no longer able to hold her weight up.

Shari knelt down beside her. Shielle could see what it was in her sister's hand now: a snapped-off jagged edge of glass from one of the broken windows. Terror rose and broke over her like a wave, but it wasn't fear of the weapon in her sister's hand that was crushing her, it was the emptiness she saw in Shari's eyes. She could look into them and through them and see only darkness. "Do you remember," Shari said, "when I told you I'd cut out your tongue before I'd let you tattle on me to our parents?"

Paralyzed with fear, Shielle could only stare at Shari. Already she could feel the glass cutting into her skin, the choking taste of blood filling her mouth, and she wished she were already dead, anything better than this horror and this dreadful experience.

"Enough, Atra Angela." A man's voice cut through the fog in her head. It was soft, cultured, undeniably vampire. It reminded her of someone – but whom?

"_As you wish, Rido-sama_." Shari's voice breathed outward, a soft sigh of disappointment – and then Shari's face began to fade and crumble. In a moment she was gone, and with her the sense of paralyzing, bone-crushing terror that had threatened to choke the life out of her. She sucked in a desperate breath.

Shielle looked up. The man – Rido – was standing over her, very tall, dressed all in black, even the gloves on his hands and the shoes on his feet. He used the tip of his shoe now to force her chin up. His voice when he spoke was cool, perfunctory. "How old are you, vampire hunter?"

The face gazing down at hers was narrow, sharp-boned, leached of all color, his eyes were a mismatched blue and red that seemed to frighten her deeply. His hair was also jet black and on the left side of his throat, just above the collar of his coat, was a mark like a rose.

"You're Rido?" she whispered. "But I thought that you –"

The shoe came down on her hand, sending a stab of pain shooting up her arm. She screamed.

"I asked you a question, dear huntress," he said. "How old are you?"

"How _old_ am I?" The pain in her hand, mixed with the acrid stench of garbage all around made her stomach turn suddenly. Still, she remained defiant in front of this vampire. "Screw you."

A sword appeared from his hand and he held it in one of his hands; he slashed it down and across her arm so quickly that she didn't have time to jerk back. A hot line of pain burned its way across her arm; she slapped her other hand to her injury and felt blood slick her fingers.

"Now," Rido said, in the same precise and cultured voice. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," she breathed out as she tried to ignore the stinging pain in her arm.

She suddenly sensed, rather than saw, him smile. "_Perfect,_" he said.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

Kaname Kuran knew that something had happened to Zero Kiryuu or the hunter was in deep trouble again. He didn't know how to explain why he knew such weird things. He just _knew_. The strange feeling was there and frankly, it was terrifying. He was terrified that Zero was badly hurt or worse. After the hunter had left to head home, he was heading straight back to the council building to finish his reports and halfway there he _felt_ it. A strange dread had suddenly stolen his breath and forced him to stop his car in the side of the road immediately.

In that one instant, Zero's image surfaced on his mind. It seemed as if Zero's pain had clubbed into him, the force of it dragging a gasp from his throat and his eyes widened in surprise. He just couldn't move, couldn't think, for too many vital seconds. Fire burned through every fiber of his being, and his shoulder was an explosion of agony. He knew that it wasn't his own, but the hunter's.

_Zero?_ He thrust open a link and called out with every ounce of strength he had. Kaname knew that the hunter would hate him for invading his mind like that. They had an argument about it once and ever since then, Kaname had never breached Zero's mind without permission. But the pureblood wanted to be sure. He would rather have an argument with Zero than for what was projected in his mind to be real. He wished that it wasn't true at all. That he was just imagining things.

The hunter's mind was hard to read most of the time and that one instant that they had a mental link, Zero had answered him in an annoyed mental voice to 'get the hell out of his thoughts.' But this time there was nothing. There was no answer beyond pain. Endless, endless, pain. _Oh, God._ A sob tore up his throat, and tears seemed to blur his vision. Zero _couldn't_ die on him. Not when they were only just beginning to get to know each other. _No_, this was not the time to get emotional. He had to get a grip on himself and find the hunter as soon as possible.

Still, it was strange to have a connection as strong as this without a blood bond and that one time mental connection didn't even take too long. Aside from that, Zero was a human but deep down, Kaname had a suspicion that it wasn't like that at all. The hunter was quite different from normal humans or other hunters for that matter. There was just something about Zero that made him think that the hunter was just like him. A vampire. So many instances proved that theory to be plausible but he dismissed it afterwards. It wasn't as if it would make much difference to him after all. Zero would still be the same person. He trusted the hunter and if his theory was correct, then there must be a reason why Zero was hiding that fact.

_If you really do love someone, don't look away, no matter what happens. No matter what you see, no matter what you learn about that someone, don't look away. Once you've got that person in your embrace, don't let go. Once you decide to love someone, that's your responsibility._ These words were a teaching from his father when he was still young. He had never expected to remember these things after all these years but somehow; thinking about Zero brought those long-forgotten words to the forefront of his mind. He truly loved Zero Kiryuu and he would be damned if he let those bastards take the hunter away from him. It didn't matter if they belonged to two different sides; Zero would always be the one person he would lay his life down for willingly.

Without wasting any second anymore, Kaname hit the gear and turned back to head to the apartment building where he and Zero were staying. The pureblood took a shuddering breath as he drove and forced a shield around his mind, blocking the pain he had been feeling on that strange connection. "I'll find you, Zero," he said, as the pain eased to a muted, constant ache. "I'll find you and make sure those bastards pay for hurting you."

As soon as he arrived at the building, he headed up into the corridor to the hunter's room to find nothing there but some instinct told him to head down the stairs. His heart pounded as fast as his feet, but deep down he knew he was never going to be fast enough to rescue Zero immediately. Already the sense of him was being stretched, suggesting he was moving far away, fast. Given that pain and the curtain of darkness that billowed across the link between them, he didn't think that Zero was moving under his own steam.

Kaname raced down the pavement, slowing as he neared a side street, then came to an abrupt halt.

There was blood all over the concrete.

His eyes widened, and he had to concentrate to keep himself from doing anything with his powers. Hatred for those people who did this to Zero bubbled up deep inside of him and he was sure that if he ever found out who did this, he would relish in delivering their slow, painful deaths. He'd seen some horrible things in his time, but this was worse than anything.

Because it was Zero's blood.

Because there was just so damn much of it.

Kaname cautiously approached the blood and tried to keep a tight lid on the force of horror coursing through him. _Don't think about the blood. Don't react to it. Just find Zero._

It was a mantra he repeated as he knelt beside the dark stain. _So much blood…_ he took another deep breath and looked beyond the pool of wetness. No sign of bullet, or whoever else had torn apart Zero's shoulder. No sign of a fight either. He figured that the hunter must have gone down straight away. He glanced back at the blood. His parents once told him that clairvoyance was a strange gift and often bore fruit in the oddest places. Only a few vampire or humans were gifted with such a power. If he touched the blood, would a second sight spring into action or be born? Or would it be his own pureblood powers that delved whatever secrets the blood might hold? Or would he simply end up with nothing more than bloody fingers?

There was only one way to find out.

He blew out a breath, closed his eyes, and slowly, carefully, dipped two fingers into the warm, sticky pool.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then heat burned up his arm, and his pureblood senses leapt away, following the trail that led to Zero. Shapes began to form in the darkness of his mind, human shapes, and strange-looking boxes. Kaname reached for them physically – and was swept into Zero's presence. He seemed to hover above the scene, a frightened phantom who could do nothing more than observe.

They were in a van that smelled of grease and metal. Zero lay on the floor, pale and unconscious. Rivulets of blood trickled from beneath his shoulder, pooling near his head, matting his silver hair. Fear swelled through Kaname, along with anger at the ones who did this, but in his phantom form, there was no release – nothing he could do beyond looking.

Toward the front of the van, two men squatted near his feet. One was brown-skinned, thickset, and bald. The other reminded him of a scarecrow, with lank, long brown hair and ragbag clothes. Kaname drifted forward. The driver was of average height, with thick black hair that contrasted sharply against his pale skin. His profile was aristocratic, arrogant, his body slender. He was dressed in black, his suit and shoes expensive looking. _A vampire_, Kaname realized, and turned his gaze to a young woman in the passenger seat. She was also of average height, with long, curly hair the light shade of orange. She was quite beautiful in her own way and she was also dressed in black.

The young woman shifted, and suddenly Kaname found himself staring into her eyes. Her eyes that were a dull, ethereal orange. Eyes that held no humanity whatsoever, only anger so deep-seated it could almost be called madness.

She raised an eyebrow, a smile touching her lips. "Well, well, who do we have here?"

Kaname roused himself and the vision disintegrated instantly. He put a shaking hand to his chest. His heart thumped so hard it felt like it was going to jump out. The pureblood rose and brushed his bloody fingers on his pants.

_I can't just let him go anymore! I don't even care if I get killed by saving him. That's all I know. If he dies tomorrow, I might as well die too, _Kaname thought determinedly as he climbed in to the black Mercedes he drove. He slammed the car into gear and took off with a squeal of tires. He grabbed his cell phone from the glove compartment and called the office, asking to be put through to Touga Yagari.

"What's happened?" The older hunter's voice was sharp.

"Zero's been shot and kidnapped. They're heading south in some sort of van." Kaname hesitated, frowning as he tried to remember what he'd seen. Images rose – blood glistening to widening pools near silver hair. His stomach curled. He swallowed heavily and added, "The van looked like some sort of mechanic's van or something like that. I'm following its trail now."

"Damn! I'll send some people as well." Yagari seemed to take pause before answering again. "We'll get him back, I know we would."

_I hope so._ Kaname thought grimly as he hung up. He tried not to lose it then and there. Was it only a few hours ago that they were together in front of the lake talking about some things? For some reason, he couldn't help the worry that rose within him. But he knew that he had to keep it together. Had to find Zero.

Because if he didn't, no one would.

He reached for the link between them again. There was no response from the hunter's mind, and the sense of him was growing more distant. _Left at the next street,_ he thought. The car slid around the corner. The tires squealed in protest and the Mercedes fishtailed several times before he brought it back under control. The pureblood wove in and out of the traffic.

Ahead, the lights changed to red. Kaname pressed his foot on the accelerator rather than the brake. Cars moved into the intersection. He swore, which was something he rarely did, and slapped his palm against the horn. Then he gunned the engine, and the big car surged forward. Tires squealed. Other horns blasted. Something hit the back of the Mercedes, and he slewed sideways. He swore again, his hands slamming against the wheel as he fought to keep the car going forward.

Then he was through the intersection and speeding up the street.

Kaname blew out a breath, but his relief was short-lived. A car flew out of a side street and arrowed towards him. He barely had time to react before the car hit and blackness swamped him.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

The room was low and square, shabby and derelict, with bare stone walls roughly carved. Firelight sent slivers of shadow darting through the crevices and grooves, jabbing and retracting like rapiers. It was swelteringly hot, and the scent of sweat and blood was thick and heavy enough to choke. The walls were a chaos of symbols, here thick lines of dark, flaking red, there a close press sigils drawn in the same stuff. Handprints vied with neatly scribed wards for space on the dirty stone, spreading across ceiling and floor until it seemed that the room was a dark womb of crusted gore.

Zero Kiryuu's eyes focused and unfocused uncertainly on the blurred sea around him. He was unbearably hot, his skin trickling with sweat, his entire body seeming to be melting like wax. Lying on the hard stone floor, his veins drenched with drugs, he was only barely aware of who he was, let alone where he had ended up or how he had come to be here.

His throat and lips were dry; his silver hair clung to his face in wet strands; his breath came labored and heavily. Zero remembered nothing, knew nothing, except the heat and the incomprehensible strangeness all about him. A newborn babe, looking at an unfamiliar world through bewildered eyes, completely at the mercy of others.

The hunter felt a sudden tautening in the room, the heat-baked air stretching thinner and thinner. He suddenly felt as if he was being crushed, but the crushing was coming from within, as if someone inside him were squeezing his lungs, his heart, and his mind. Zero screamed in pain and at the horror of it, the unnatural sensation. It was a tearing of the soul, as if the core of his self was being mauled by some clawed thing. He screamed, but his throat was sandpaper and it brought fresh agonies. These agonies, at least, were natural.

He writhed, drugged and helpless. He bit his lip in the throes of pain, and salty blood trickled down his throat, tasting of metal.

Then came the wrench, and it brought pain beyond imagining. The drugs that kept him quiescent were the only things that stopped Zero from dying of shock. It was like he was being drawn by horses, ripped apart in every direction at once, a torture that stole his breath and flayed his mind and made him retch and spasm and weep all at once.

Still, some part of his mind seemed to block something. Something important that he didn't want other people to find out. Despite the drugs in his system, he knew that he could not let those barriers in his mind break. Some part of him knew that he would rather die than to let such a thing happen.

He wanted to end this pain but then, there was a promise with someone. Someone very important to him. Even if he wanted to right now, he couldn't just let himself die willingly. Not this time. Or the next.

The pain continued long after he thought he had lapsed for a moment, if he had for one second thought that he wished to die and have it done with, and then he would surely have done so. It was only his will that kept his body going, his anger, and his need to survive so that they would not win and to keep that promise. And finally, finally, after aeons and eternities piled upon each other, the pain stopped, and there was a void of such bliss that Zero thought he really had died, and here was his reward.

The hunter could not see their faces, could see nothing but darkness, and finally he went limp and unconsciousness claimed him.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

When Zero had finally regained consciousness, he discovered that he was bound to a chair with a blindfold across his eyes and a gag in his mouth. Not to mention he had the worst headache he had ever had in his life. He tried calling out for someone, but the material in his mouth muffled any sound. At one stage he thought he heard the sound of someone screaming and he noticed with a sinking feeling how similar it sounded to someone he knew from the association. And then all that followed was silence and blackness.

Time crawled on. It had been morning when he had gone back to his home after the meeting with Kaname but now he had guessed that a few days must've gone by without him noticing. And in that time between when he had been abducted and now he had yet to be addressed by his abductors. He had been given no food or water and he could still feel the effects of the drugs in his system. All he had done for now was sit on his chair in the darkness.

He thought of Kaname. How did he feel now? Was the pureblood worried about him, searching for him? Did Kaname want him back because he wanted to keep the enemies from succeeding in taking information from him, or did Kaname just want him back? Did the pureblood want him back at all? Zero could not fathom the way he reacted to that person. Sometimes the pureblood was warm, sometimes cold. But the hunter had to admit that he liked the smiles, and the way Kaname sometimes turned his words, and the odd flash of his eye. Zero knew that he would like to be back with Kaname again. The damn vampire was the only honest thing Zero had ever had in his life.

Zero sat on the rickety wooden chair in the dark room, his head hung and his silver hair lank across his face. Slats of grim twilight showed through the black rectangle of the single window, shutters letting in what feeble luminescence there was. Distantly, a wolf howled and was answered by another faraway pack.

His wrists were chafed raw from rubbing against the ropes that tied them to the back of the chair. He was faint from hunger and exhaustion, and he shivered against the cold in the bare room. Clouds of his breath plumed raggedly from his gagged mouth. He had been here for what seemed like hours, but ever since that time he blanked out, he had no sense or concept of how much time had passed.

_One horror to another,_ he thought to himself. _When will it be over?_

He would not give in to despair. The terrible weariness that had sunk into his bones was weakening his resolve, but he was stronger than self-pity. Some bastards had him, but he still breathed. There was that.

He thought of Kaname Kuran then, and for a time he entertained notions of the pureblood rescuing him; but they were false hopes. Besides, he wasn't some damsel-in-distress that needed to be rescued. He could get out of this, hopefully. Still, nobody knew where he was, not even him. Alone, once again.

Zero heard the sound of a heavy key in the lock, and he looked up even if he couldn't see anything at all, his chest tightening. The thick wooden door opened, and a shadow stood there, a sharp silver sword in one hand, sharpened to a gleam.

"Good morning, child, you gave me a lot of trouble by locking your own memories," a deep voice that sent chills down the hunter's spine greeted him and that person stepped into the room, a sword held before the bound hunter.

Zero suppressed a sound of fear that threatened to escape his throat. He kept his posture fixed on defiance, never wavering. If he was to die here, it would not be a cowering child. He wanted to shout something, do anything, but the bonds held him tight. He could not even tap into his vampire abilities in his state.

He hated this moment. The man he had sworn to kill for her was right here in front of him but he could not even do anything. He could not even seek revenge for her death.

The man locked the door, and pocketed the key. Drawing another chair up, he placed it before the hunter and sat on it. He was wearing riding boots, leather gloves and a greatcoat, the collar turned up. Nothing showed of him but the cold, dead eyes of mismatched colors.

Zero waited, not doing anything, hardly daring to breathe.

The man leaned forward and reached out a hand, stroking it down the line of the hunter's jaw. Zero stiffened, frozen in horror and disgust. Suddenly the man's sword was at his neck the moment he flinched.

"I never expected to see you again, Zero. After all these years, I see that you've changed quite a bit," Rido said as he gazed at the young hunter. "I guess that you haven't forgotten that day, Zero. You think of me as a monster even when you and I are the same kind. You only look at me and what I do through the lens of your ordinary understanding of the world. Humans like the hunters create distinctions between themselves, distinctions that seem ridiculous to our kind. Their distinctions are based on religion, race, and national identity, any of a dozen minor and irrelevant markers. But I'm not like that. I can see the truth. What does not belong to our world must not be allowed to take root, to grow like a poisonous flower."

Zero refused to show any movement whatsoever.

Rido removed his knife from Zero's throat, tapped the side of his head with the point, and then withdrew to sit back in his chair.

"When I kill, it is because I must. You grew up in a falsely beautiful paradise surrounded by fragile glass walls, my young hunter. Your mother created the world she wanted to live in by marrying that vampire hunter and she brought you up in it."

He got up, leaving Zero chilled at the tone of his words and its implications.

"She never told you that it was all an illusion, and all the time those _demons_ waited with their weapons of blood and terror to smash the glass and pull you free of the lie you had been living in."

He stepped away from the window and came up behind Zero. The hunter winced in fear as Rido put his knife to the bonds, thinking only of that sharp edge so close to his skin. But the ropes fell free, and Rido stepped back. Zero removed the gag and blindfold. He got up, rubbing his wrists, and went to stand in front of the pureblood vampire. He had never shown fear in front of anyone and he wasn't going to do so now. Even if he wanted to kill this man, he didn't have the necessary weapons at all. Also he knew that in his state, there was a good chance that he would lose.

"You smashed the walls," Zero whispered. "_You_ dragged me into all of this. No one but you."

"And the pain you felt, the blood you shed? Do you blame me for that as well? I was not the one who forced you to accept the burden of the association."

"Stop it. Just stop talking," Zero said as he turned away. He wanted to scream at the bastard, _You killed Yuki and many others in cold blood, you did all of this, everything was your fault!_ But he couldn't get the words out. "What is it you want from me, Rido?" he asked.

"It's been a long time since you called my name. How unexpected," Rido said amused at Zero's words. He slowly moved forward and tilted Zero's chin so that the hunter's piercing amethyst gaze was directed at him. "I was interested in why that sweet little girl had chosen you at first. Would you believe me? In the long time that I have lived, I've never been happier than I was during the time I spent with the two of you and everyone else. For me, that time is my most treasured memory. Before and even now," he continued in a nostalgic tone of voice.

"Then why did you betray us?" Zero shouted as he backed away from Rido and gazed at the man with pure hatred in his now crimson eyes.

"Because the times have changed. She said so too, didn't she? Just accept it," Rido said simply.

"Shut up!" Zero said as he tackled the pureblood but Rido moved to fast for him to catch up and within seconds, his hands were held tightly behind his back and Rido standing behind him. Zero gritted his teeth in frustration as he couldn't get away from the vampire's grasp.

"Amazing! I'm getting excited. But that's all for today," Rido whispered behind his ear as the vampire pulled him close and buried his face on his neck.

"You better hope that my comrades aren't out there because I know that they hate you enough to want to hunt you down and make you pay for everything you've done," Zero said coldly as he realized what Rido wanted to do. He braced himself as he felt the warm breathe ghost over his neck. He waited for what would come soon enough.

Rido laughed. "We'll see, Zero. We'll see." Then without any warning, he bit harshly onto the young hunter.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

When awareness returned to Kaname again, it was to darkness. Pain was a beat as steady as his heart, pounding through his veins like blood. He opened his eyes, staring upwards, seeing the white ceiling and wondering where the hell he was. Then memory hit.

"Zero!" he shouted, jerking upright. The hunter was hurt – not so much physically as spiritually, and the ache of it pounded through his veins.

"Kaname-sama!" a voice cut through the haze of fear. "Please, calm down."

Kaname turned his attention to a blonde-haired noble vampire with bright green eyes who was sitting on a chair propped next to the bed. There was a hint of worry in Takuma Ichijou's emerald-green eyes that the pureblood tried his best to control his emotions and calm down despite the worry seeping through him for the hunter. There was no need to instill worry on his friend's mind.

"Yagari-san has put everything he can to try and find Kiryuu-kun," Takuma continued seriously.

It wouldn't help, Kaname thought deeply. He was the only one who could find Zero. The only one who could rescue the young hunter. Whether that was intuition or just plain old fear, he couldn't say.

"Where am I?" Kaname asked suddenly.

"We're currently on the Association's private hospital," Takuma answered automatically.

"Why?"

Takuma's gaze searched Kaname's. "You don't remember?"

The pureblood frowned. "I remember racing down the road and then the car."

Takuma nodded. "It sideswiped you according to the reports. Turns out they were working for the men who'd kidnapped Kiryuu-kun. Yagari-san has been working on them, but he hasn't been able to get much information out of them."

"It seemed to mean as if they were expecting me to give chase," Kaname concluded as he kept his gaze fixed on Takuma.

Takuma grimaced on his thoughts. "It appears they were expecting a whole lot of things. Lucky for you, you were in the Merc."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, if it wasn't for the front and side air bags, you might have gotten badly hurt or worse."

Kaname stared at Takuma for a moment, wondering what the noble was talking about. He couldn't really die that easily. Well, technically, he could, but only through some specific ways. "What do you mean?"

The noble reached forward and touched Kaname's neck. It was only then that the pureblood became aware of the bandage.

"The impact of the accident shattered the windshield and sent glass flying everywhere. If the air bags hadn't taken the force off the one that hit you, it might have sliced clean through your neck."

A chill ran through the pureblood. What were the odds of something like that happening in an accident? What were the odds that it was _no_ accident? He swallowed, but it didn't seem to ease the sudden fear he felt for the young hunter. Zero was in the hands of those ruthless bastards. "How long have I been in the hospital?"

The noble hesitated but seeing the determine look in the pureblood's eyes, he answered, "Two days."

Kaname's eyes widened in surprise. "Two days! God –"

Takuma's hand clasped his, squeezing lightly. "It's all right."

"It's not all right," Kaname said furiously. "Anything could have happened to him! What in the hell are Yagari and Cross doing?"

"All they can, believe me."

Kaname sighed deeply. "I need a walk." Takuma nodded and told him that he was already well enough to leave the hospital if he wished to.

Kaname climbed out of bed, ignoring the aches that slithered through his limbs, and headed through the bathroom to change his clothes. As he finally slipped his arms into the jacket's sleeves, he walked over to the mirror and studied his reflection. There were no scratches or bruising from the accident on the highway. And though the white bandage around his neck stood out like a sore thumb, there was no pain or soreness.

He'd healed very fast – yet another indication that he was not human. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Why was he even worrying about it? The only reason he was standing here today, on the verge of getting revenge and rescuing the hunter, was because of the fact that he was not human to begin with. _Get over it,_ he told himself fiercely._ And go get the young hunter back._

As he stood at the rooftop of the hospital, he fished out his phone from his jacket's pocket. He really didn't know what he wanted to accomplish by doing so but he dialed Zero's number anyway.

There was a click and then a drawling, amused voice spoke in his ear. "Kaname," it said. "I should have known you'd be on the other end of this phone line."

He squeezed his eyes shut, his stomach falling out from under him as if he were on a roller coaster that had just made its first drop. "Rido."

"You mean 'Uncle,'" he said, sounding genuinely annoyed. "I deplore this modern habit of calling one's relatives by their first names."

"What I actually want to call you is a hell of a lot more unprintable than your name," he snapped. "Where's Zero?"

"You mean the young hunter? Questionable company for a pureblood of a good family, don't you think so? From now on I'll be expecting to have a say in you choice of friends."

"_What did you do to Zero?"_

"Nothing," said Rido, amused. "Yet."

And he hung up.


	10. And then the Rain will Fall

**A/N: **hi there to all readers! Thanks a lot for the reviews and for the continued support in this story. ^_^ I've been quite busy for the past few days and updating seemed to take a while with all the activities I had to deal with. There was just so many paperwork for this term and I had to put aside my stories for a while. Still, I couldn't seem to put down the urge to write with the little bouts of inspiration I had along the way. So whenever there was a free time in my schedule, I wrote little by little until I finally finished another chapter for this story.

Well, a lot of things are bound to happen from here on out with Rido's sudden appearance and his connection to everyone else. Now that Kaname knows who kidnapped Zero, what would happen next I wonder? I hope that you guys will like this chapter as well and once again thanks for the support. Let's not keep you guys waiting anymore… ^_^

Please Read and Review…

* * *

**Chapter 10 – And Then the Rain Will Fall**

Rido Kuran bit into Zero's throat, hard. The young hunter gasped in pain and shock, and in that moment his blood seemed to rush into that bastard's tongue. He hated being helpless like this but Rido's hold was far too strong to break and he was still weak from the injuries and the drugs he received earlier from his capture. He knew that the thick, metallic taste of his blood spread through Rido like fire, hot and uncontrollable, and the feel of his blood must be sweeter than anything else judging from the way he was being drained.

Rido swallowed, and the feel of the vampire hunter's blood in his throat was sweeter than anything else he'd ever known. He was a bit annoyed at the fact that he couldn't seem to trigger any memory from the blood he was taking. He was a bit amused by Zero's stubbornness and determination to keep the information a secret from him.

_Quite the stubborn child as always,_ Rido thought as he continued to drink from the young hunter.

This was first time Zero was bitten this roughly before. Or rather, the first time he was bitten at all. What he felt now was a disgusting and painful violation, nothing like what a vampire's bite was supposed to be. He was angry at the fact that he couldn't do anything at all to stop this. _Why was he always so weak in front of this man? _He hated it and this feeling was the same as that time. The day he failed to keep his promise to her. The day she died because of him.

Still, he tried to push Rido away from him with the little strength he had, but he was already too far gone. He began to slump backwards, and still Rido was drinking from him deeply. He felt as though he was being laid open and his memories were being drawn along with his blood. He tried his best to block out that certain memory and the effort proved too much. The last thing he remembered was Rido withdrawing his fangs before he lost consciousness and went limp against his captor.

Rido smiled as he let the young hunter go. Zero fell bonelessly to the floor of the room with a thud. The wide gash his teeth had left in the hunter's throat was dark and wet in the light, glistening like spilled ink. A small stream of blood trickled across the wood and pooled around a bit.

Without wasting any second, he approached the unconscious figure and drew a knife with strange markings on its hilt. The bright silver blade gleaming against the light. Knowing that even if the information wasn't going to be revealed to him, he was still a step closer to his goal…

_There was a flower the color of blood._

_The strong winds howled through the trees around him, whipping the fragile branches in every direction. The dark skies overhead, churned, thick with roiling clouds. The young man brushed his windswept silver hair from his eyes. It seemed that he only wanted to look at the unique flower._

_Each rain-beaded petal was vividly scarlet, slender, and blade-like, the way some tropical flowers are. Yet the flower was lush and full, too, and it clung to the branch like a rose. A rose that looked the same as the Kuran family's crest. The bud was the most exotic, mesmerizing thing he'd ever seen. He wanted so badly to take it and make it his, though he didn't know why he had that certain urge._

_It was as if he knew this flower, the familiarity was there. That it was something he saw before, though he couldn't remember anything about it. He knew that this was the first time he saw it. Yet, why did he feel different? Why was it so familiar?_

_As he reached out for the flower, the hedge rustled. The wind was his first thought, but it wasn't the wind at all. No, the hedge was growing – growing so quickly that he could see it happening. Silver vines and brambles pushed from the leaves in a tangled snarl. Before he could move away, the hedge surrounded him, walling behind him in sticks, and leaves, and thorns. No matter what he did, the plants didn't seem to listen to him at all._

_A mansion loomed behind him; the stone walls of some of its high towers the only barrier the thorns couldn't break. He should've run for that place, but he didn't. His intuition told him that the place was far more dangerous than the thorns, and, besides, he didn't want to leave that single flower behind._

_Thunder rumbled. His heart beating faster. He turned away from that place for the last time and looked back at the flower as it trembled upon its branch. A single petal was torn away by the wind. Pushing his hands through the thorns, he felt lashes of pain across his skin, but he kept going, determined to save it._

_But when his fingertip touched the flower for a second, it instantly darkened, withering and drying as each petal turned to black. _

_It was dying in front of his eyes._

_And there was absolutely nothing he could do._

The sound of water woke him. It was a heavy repetitive sound – water sloshing against something solid, over and over again, as if he were lying in the bottom of a pool that was rapidly draining and refilling itself. There was a taste of metal in his mouth and the smell of metal all around. He was conscious of a nagging, persistent pain in his left hand as well as his neck. With a groan, Zero Kiryuu opened his eyes.

He was lying on a hard, bumpy metal floor painted an ugly gray-green. The walls were the same green metal. There was a single high round window in one wall, letting only a little sunlight, but it was enough. He'd been lying with his hand in a patch of it and he could see that there was a cut on his left wrist that hasn't healed much yet. He was perplexed by the sight of it and he didn't remember anything about that wound before he lost consciousness. With another groan, he rolled away from the light and sat up. He still felt light-headed from what Rido did that time. He still couldn't believe that the _damned_ _bastard bit him!_ Zero didn't know what that action accomplished aside from draining him of his blood to the point of unconsciousness. He clearly understood that Rido knew that he wasn't going to get the information that way so why did that vampire continue to take his blood? Somehow, the dream he had seemed to tell him that something far worse is going to happen soon.

Suddenly, he realized that he wasn't alone in the room. Though the shadows were thick, he could see in the darkness just fine. Across from him, her hand bound together with a chain connected to the wall, was Shielle Adnade. Her clothes were torn and there was a massive bruise across her left cheek. He could see how badly and terrible she looked, her long hair matted with blood. Zero realized with a start that the screams he heard when he was tied to the chair that time were Shielle's. He could only imagine what kind of torture she went through to look like this. The moment he sat up, she stared at him and burst immediately into tears. "I thought," she hiccupped between sobs, "that you – were dead."

"I'm _fine_, Shielle. No need to worry like that," Zero said seriously as he stared at his left wrist. As he watched, the wound was closing slowly, the pain lessening, the skin starting to resume its normal pallor. Though, he couldn't help but wonder why his healing rate was slower than usual. Wounds like these seemed to heal within seconds unless it was caused by an anti-vampire weapon. The realization had him thinking about the recent murders. _Was Rido involved with the deaths of the Vampire Council members as well as some hunters from the Association?_ It was a wild guess but it seemed that he was on the right track after all. If he was right, then wouldn't it be plausible that they would be the next casualties?

Yet those words were swept away by a tide of anger that boiled up from within his soul. How could they play with lives like chess pieces, pawns to be sacrificed for the kings and queens and rooks? With_ his and so many other's _life? He truly hated them; _how_ he hated them then, for everything that had been done to him, for the humiliation and fear and degradation and pain, and Zero swore then that he would endure this, he would help Shielle survive this trial no matter how hopeless it seemed, and if given the chance he would make them pay for what they had done to him, and to everyone else.

"I know, but it looked like you – were dead." She swiped at her face with her bound hands. Zero triedto move toward her, but something brought him up short. A metal cuff around his ankle was attached to a thick metal chain sunk into the floor. From the feel of it, he knew it was an anti-vampire restraint as well. Rido was taking no chances it seemed.

"Don't cry," Zero said, and immediately regretted it. It wasn't as if the situation didn't warrant tears. He was well aware that they were in deep trouble and that their lives could end any second. He resisted the urge to smack himself for this mistake. He knew that he shouldn't have let his guard down for an instant. He wasn't supposed to be captured by the enemies. "I'm really fine," he added as he tried to reassure Shielle no matter how hopeless their situation seemed to be._ I can't let another person die here because of me; I would rather die than let something like that happen again._

"For now," said Shielle, rubbing her tear-streaked face against her sleeve. "That man – the one with that black hair – he said his name was Rido, right?"

"I see that you met _that_ bastard," Zero told her as he shoved those previous thoughts away. "Judging from how you look right now, he gave you a pretty hard time."

"He's a pureblood as well, isn't he?" Shielle asked.

"Yes, he is a pureblood from the Kuran family and he looks different since the last time I saw him," Zero answered as he looked away for a while to tend to his own wounds. His shoulder was still throbbing a bit and he could still feel the puncture marks on his neck from being bitten earlier.

"I thought his voice sounded familiar. He sounds just like Kaname Kuran." She looked momentarily rueful. "But he's nothing like your partner. I can't believe that they're ever related."

"So you didn't…" Shielle's voice trailed off. She tried again. "Look, I know that this sounds weird, but when Rido talked to you, did you happen to see someone you recognized with him, someone who's dead? Like a ghost? Or well, something, Kiryuu-sama?"

Zero shook his head, bewildered. "No. Why?"

Shielle hesitated. "I saw my older sister. The illusion of my sister. I think Rido was making me hallucinate or using whatever power he had on me."

"Well, he didn't try anything like that on me. Where are we, anyway?"

"On a building near the sea. I was still conscious when he brought me onto it. The place is really huge and quite hard to get into. It's well hidden with a few spells and such. There are also no lights and there are –_ things_ everywhere. One of them jumped out at me and I started screaming. That was when he grabbed my head and banged it into a wall. I passed out a while after that."

"Things? What do you mean things?"

"Familiars and Level Ends," she said, and shuddered. "He has all sorts of them here. Big ones and little ones and strong ones. They all do whatever he tells them without second thought."

"Rido's a pureblood so it's practically normal for him," Zero told her calmly as he tried to assess their situation. With all those things in here, there was very little chance of escaping even if he managed to gain access to his other nature. It was a losing situation for the both of them.

"What I don't get is what he wants with us. I know that he hates the Hunter's Association, but this seems like a lot of effort just to kill two of its members." She had started to shiver, her jaws clicking together like the chattering-teeth toys you could buy in novelty stores. "He must want something from the association. Or from you, Kiryuu-sama."

_You're right, I know what he wants,_ Zero thought, but there was no point in telling Shielle; she was upset enough already. He shrugged his jacket off. "Here," he said, and tossed it across the room to her.

Twisting around her manacles, she managed to drape it awkwardly around her shoulders. She offered him a wan but grateful smile. "Thank you, Kiryuu-sama. But aren't you going to be cold?"

Zero shook his head. The wound on his wrist was entirely gone now. "I don't feel the cold much, you know. I'm not human after all."

She opened her mouth, and then closed it again. A struggle was seemingly taking place behind her eyes. "I'm sorry about the way I reacted to you before… and for telling it only now." She paused, almost holding her breath. "It's just that… vampires… used to scare me to death," she whispered at last. "When I first came to the city, I had been accompanied by close friends of mine. There were three of us and we all decided to come to the park. We accidentally ran into some vampires who were harassing a jogger under a bridge – there was a fight and I mostly remember one of the vampires picking my friend up, just picking him up, and _ripping_ him in half –" her voice rose, and she clamped a hand over her mouth. She was shaking. "In half," she whispered. "All of his insides fell out. And then they just started laughing as though it was funny."

Zero felt a dull pang of nausea roll over him. He was almost glad that the story made him sick to his stomach, rather than something else. Like hunger and not from food but from something else. "I wouldn't do that," he said quietly. "I'm not like those vampires. Not all of us are the same even if we were of the same kind."

"I know that now." Her mouth worked. "It's just that when I met truly you, you seemed so _human_. Then, when I found out the truth, I couldn't stop myself. I felt betrayed and I thought that you were only playing around with me. That you were going to hurt me someday. Then I realized that you're more human than any person I met, Kiryuu-sama," she said earnestly.

"No, I'm not."

"You're terribly wrong about that. You've always been protecting us. That's why in ways that count, you're truly just like me."

Zero tried to smile at her but Shielle could tell that he didn't believe her one bit, and she hardly blamed him. She wasn't even sure if she believed herself.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

"I don't like this," Kaito said softly to Yagari as they slowly moved in on the building that an informant from their side had directed them to. It took them a few days to get the information in order and as soon as that was done, they finally moved out to rescue Zero. Kaito was glad that they would finally be heading out but somehow, he had a nagging feeling that something terrible was bound to happen.

"What part don't you like at all?"

"Everything to be exact," Kaito said as he glanced at the road leading them to where Zero was currently taken prisoner. And if they were correct in thinking that this is the enemy's stronghold, Shielle Adnade might be there as well. "This might be a trap and we're setting ourselves up for suicide. It doesn't also settle my nerves to know that another pureblood is doing this. You are aware that those vampires are masters of mind games and _are_ quite cunning," he added as he glanced back at Yagari.

"Well, it's just a chance we'll have to take. Besides, I don't think Zero would appreciate being in that place for too long. Least of all with that bloodsucker. I'm quite sure that the kid hasn't forgiven that man yet for what happened years ago," Yagari answered back and the two descended to silence for a while.

They had never talked about that incident since long ago. It was a painful reminder of their weaknesses especially to someone like Zero who thought that it was _his _own fault. That was why most of them pretended that it never happened, to spare Zero of carrying that pain and to help him move on. They had noticed lately that Zero was already moving forward but then, this had to happen so suddenly. Knowing that Rido was involved sent anger coursing through them as they thought about what that vampire was doing now to the young hunter.

_Maybe Yagari's right, the sooner we rescue Zero the better it is,_ Kaito thought as he prepared the knives in his coat and watched Yagari speak to the communications in the front of the van. He knew that there would be quite a battle the moment that they get there. A battle he had never experienced before.

Meanwhile, Kaname was trying to gain control of his emotions even for a while. The phone call with Rido was setting his nerves on fire and he was worried about what was happening to Zero now. He had taken to keeping to himself, sometimes seemingly completely detached from what was happening around him. He was sitting quietly in the back of one of the vans they are using to transport them to the building where Zero was taken. He had a gun resting in one of his hands, an anti-vampire weapon handed to him by Yagari a few hours earlier, and his head was bowed, just staring at the ground. A silent pureblood wasn't anything out of the usual, but there was definitely something disturbing about the way he was acting now.

"At least he's not that pissed off," Kaito remarked as his attention strayed to the silent pureblood.

"I think it would be better if he was angry, Takamiya-san," Takuma answered as he gazed gently at Kaito before looking back at Kaname. "I've seen individuals like this in the past and I am aware of how dangerous they can be. Who knows when he could suddenly lose control?" he added seriously.

Kaito stared at the blonde noble sitting next to him and noticed the worried and hard look in those emerald-green orbs. He had been acquainted with Takuma Ichijou since the days in the academy but he had never really seen the guy this serious before. He was quite familiar with the bubbly and polite noble who seemed so un-vampire-like compared to all the ones he met so far. Not the person sitting beside him now. It took him completely off-guard to see that look on the said person's features that it took quite a while for him to answer.

"Ichijou, this is Kuran we're talking about –"

"Which is exactly why we shouldn't ignore the possibility that something might truly go wrong," Takuma said as he cut off Kaito. "He is a pureblood. If he loses his self control there is no telling what could happen," he added after a while as he shifted the sword he was carrying with him on his side.

Kaito nodded as Takuma's words started to sink in. "Do you think we made a mistake in letting Kuran come along?"

Takuma contemplated the question for a second, glancing over to regard the pureblood again to help make up his mind. "I'd say yes if I was the leader of this mission. But as his trusted friend, I'd say no. I've known Kaname for years and I know that there's no force in this world that would be able to hold him back when he makes up his mind."

"I had a feeling you were going to say something along those lines," Kaito grumbled as Yagari regarded the two of them.

"Thermal imaging has confirmed a number of individuals inside the building. Our primary guess is that they're mostly level ends," the older hunter informed Kaito and Takuma as he massaged his temples momentarily. He had not had an easy night after being swept up in a heated argument with Kaien Cross after he suggested that it might be best if the former stayed out of this mission. He knew that Cross was terribly worried about Zero but the academy needed his protection now that most of them were in this mission. Who knows when the enemy would attack the school? In the end, duty won out over his desire to make the man who had kidnapped his precious student pay, but that didn't mean he had lost any of his anger. Thus, the argument continued through the night.

"Alright, we know that Zero would be held captive somewhere heavily guarded and I'm pretty sure that a number of level ends would be there to stop us," Kaito concluded. "And if that guess is correct, we'll have to head in the last room of the south wing."

"We've also put up some men in the corner of the houses so we'll be informed if any of the enemies try to escape," Takuma added.

"Excellent. Let's move out," Yagari told everyone.

Yagari and his men slowly crept through the darkness towards the building. The night was still around them and everything was eerily calm, so when they finally made contact with Rido's men it shattered everything around them. The enemies gave no warning at all when they started shooting and two of the hunters were hit with bullets before anyone could retaliate.

"Dammit!" Kaito hissed, ducking for cover behind several old tin barrels that were rusting away. He quickly cocked his gun and took aim. He calmed his breathing and heart beat and pulled back on the trigger. His entire body reeled as the bullet flew from his barrel into the shoulder of one of Rido's men, but he quickly steadied himself and got ready for another shot. Beside him behind the barrels was Kaname, who was firing shots with an unnervingly accurate precision. Even vampires weren't that mechanical.

Slowly, all of them entered the huge building and they were surprised by the vastness inside. Everything seemed different from the outside and no one would have guessed that something so grand would be held within. They didn't have time to marvel the site though. All of them heard the dogs coming long before they saw them, and they knew these were no ordinary dogs.

"There's dozens of them!" Takuma guessed. Yagari was checking the chamber of his shotgun. Kaito's hunter senses was growing in volume inside his head as the creatures approached.

They stood in a tall chamber, with high, red lacquer ribs reaching up to the sloped ceiling above them. Wooden benches and thick tables were arranged in rows, giving the place the impression of some kind of dining hall. There were two pointed archways – one they had entered from and one directly opposite – and two further small doors set in the other walls.

The sounds were coming from the large archway ahead of them, and coming fast.

"Turn over the tables!" Yagari shouted. "Make barricades! We have no choice but to fight those things!"

They did so, hefting two of the great tables up against the archway where the dogs would come from. After that, they tipped the rest of the tables and benches, turning the hall into a broken maze of obstacles. It was all accomplished within a minute and they retreated, to wait. They had laid out three rough rows of the heavy tables, so they could fall back from each one to new cover if they were overwhelmed. Gaps had been left in the tables behind them, allowing them to dart through and then slide the tables together to form a strong barrier. Now they took position behind the foremost one, their eyes fixed on the gaping archway through which the baying of the hounds was approaching.

Kaito handed Takuma a short, narrow-bladed sword that had hung at his belt. "In case they get too close and you need another weapon," he said. Takuma took it gratefully but said nothing.

The first dogs reached them then, two of the creatures springing over the blockade in the archway and landing four-square on the flagstones. Kaito swore under his breath at the sight of them. There was no question that they were some kind of familiars. They had the vague shape of dogs, but they seemed swollen and twisted from the inside. Barrel-chested, legs knotted with muscles so thick as to be grotesque, their teeth had overgrown their gums and splintered in their mouths, making their drool pink with blood. Their eyes were blank and dark, set within prominent ridges of bone that shadowed them. Their fur was a bristly black, but they were bathed in the red light that filled the room from the outside, making them seem hellish in aspect.

Kaname was the first to fire, and the others followed a moment later. The first two dogs were shot to pieces by the initial salvo, but there were already more pouncing and scrabbling over the blockade, howling at the scent. The pureblood leveled and took the head off one of them as it tried to pull itself up and over the tables by its forepaws; Yagari and Kaito both discharged their weapons into the flank of another. Two more fell that way, picked off as they tried to clamber over the barricade, and then four of the dogs took the blockade at once, and the tables tipped forward and collapsed under their great weight.

The creatures burst in, guns roared, and two of them fell dead. But the dogs would not be stopped, and they had numbers now. Racing across the room, they threw themselves at the overturned tables behind which the intruders hid. One of them scrambled over the top, only to find a gun barrel in its mouth and its brains liberated from its skull. Still, the tide could not be turned back, and another dog appeared from nowhere, squeezing through a gap between the tables and rushing at Takuma; but he lifted his sword one-handed like a shield, and thrust the other weapon, the dagger, into the creature's side. It yowled in agony, skidding past him, and a moment later Yagari was there to finish it off with a bullet. He pulled the blade from the dead thing's ribs and threw it back to Takuma, not able to spare another instant as the dogs were pouring into the room now. He shot at another dog that had got stuck wriggling through the tables, missed and hit wood, and Kaito cried out as a thick, blunt splinter hit him just above the eyes. Takuma killed the dog with his saber before it could free itself.

"Fall back!" Yagari cried, and they did so, ducking through the gaps between the next rows of tables and sliding them shut to block out the enemy.

Yagari was frantically reloading as the second wave struck. Kaito wiped the trickle of blood from his forehead and took aim again. The damned things were relentless, coming from all sides now. The brighter ones learned not to try and climb the tables or scramble through, but to run around the edge of the room and attack from the sides, slipping in behind the barricades. Kaname looked round and saw one such dog wrestling with Takuma, scratching at him with vicious claws as he fought to keep its snapping teeth away from his face. He produced the dagger, its blade reflected in the light, and stabbed it into the creature on top of him. As it struck, the dog shrieked and exploded into ochre flame. The creatures paused, taken aback by the sight of their kin writhing in agony as Takuma threw it off. And then something was arcing through the air, thrown by someone, rattling to a halt…

The air was torn with an ear-shattering explosion and a flash of light bright enough to dazzle. One of the vampire hunter's flash bombs, with a little extra added for the noise.

Gunfire erupted again, but this time it was from behind them. It took a few seconds for Kaname to realize that it was not Yagari or Kaito, but someone else, shooting at _them!_ He whirled round to see four individuals, two dressed incongruously in black jackets, one in a uniform that reminded him a bit of Cross Academy's day class female uniform, and the last in a crimson robe with his cowl gathered around his shoulders. They were standing in the archway from which the intruders had entered the room, the over-turned tables blocking a clear firing line. They were sandwiched; the dogs on one side, the enemy on the other.

"Stay close!" Yagari shouted, but his voice was drowned out by another flash bomb, this time aimed at the cultists.

Takuma was pulled up to his feet. It was Kaname, firing over his shoulder at a dog that leapt to intercept.

"Now!" the woman wearing the uniform called over the racket, and she and her two remaining companions sprang around the sides of their table and rushed toward the defenders. The man in the crimson robes lay dead nearby, having taken one of Kaito's bullets in his heart. One of those who wore a black jacket was dropped before he could reach the spot where Kaito, Yagari, Kaname, and Takuma sheltered. But the woman had timed her attack to coincide with the moment when the few remaining dogs had launched their final assault, and so Yagari and Kaname had been occupied with keeping them back; there was only Kaito's gun to oppose them, and as he turned it towards the woman, she shot him in the hand.

He screamed against the pain, recoiling as the woman and her surviving companion vaulted the tables and brought their guns up. Yagari spun, but the woman's gun roared and he was thrown backwards over a table where he slumped, still. The click of the hammers on their pistols signaled an end to the conflict; the man's gun was pressed to Takuma's head, and the woman's was pointed at Kaito where he knelt on the floor, clutching the red mess of his hand. Kaname froze where he was.

He could use his abilities on the woman but that in turn would alert Rido to his whereabouts. He had been suppressing his aura and powers for the duration of the rescue and he hoped that it was working well. Though he didn't need to doubt that since it showed to be quite effective since the two enemies before him seemed not to notice that he was also a pureblood from the same family line as their leader.

"I didn't mean to shoot a _kid_ but there wasn't much choice," the woman drawled.

"_You bitch,_" Kaito hissed through gritted teeth, trying to flex his fingers and only managing to make them twitch. There was a hole through his palm, ragged with bleeding flesh so dark that it seemed black in the red light.

"I thought you people had manners. I'm Arisa Pheles by the way," she said with a grin. There was a snarl, and Arisa whipped out a second pistol with her free hand and shot the last dog as it clambered over the barrier of tables. "Devilish hard to control, they are. Now, sir. I wonder if you'd do me a great honor." She said to Kaname as she pushed away her jet black hair from her face.

"You're asking him for a duel?" Kaito exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well, either that or I shoot you all right now," Arisa replied. "Do we have a deal?"

"Not guns," said Kaname. "Blades."

"Blades it is," grinned Arisa.

Both of them drew their blades, and the two faced each other, settling their weight so that it was evenly spread, ready to fight. They circled for a time, making tiny feints, testing their enemy's reflexes. Arisa was fast, no doubt about that; probably faster than Kaname, but the pureblood knew a trick or two, and he had something of an idea forming behind that impassive visage.

"I guess you're that silver-haired hunter's partner aren't you? Rido-sama told me that person was good with swords. I wonder if you are as well," Arisa told Kaname cheerfully.

"Well, I guess we'll find that out soon enough," Kaname replied calmly as he focused himself. Zero had shared with him some sword techniques a while back and this time he would be able to test his skills without holding back.

Arisa sent a quick slash towards Kaname's cheek; it was parried away with a sharp ring of steel. Kaname counter-thrust, jabbing up towards Arisa's gut, but she turned it away and shoved her boot into the pureblood's chest. Kaname was faster than that, though; he rode the force of the push and slashed across Arisa's shin, and regained his balance as the woman retreated.

"Hmm," Arisa said, their eyes locked once more. The cut had only scratched her, for most of what Kaname had sliced was Arisa's boot.

Kaname attacked now, a high thrust to mid-slash and then one across the eyes. Arisa tapped them all away, and then returned in kind, a three-strike combination that the pureblood handled easily. They were testing each other, probing for weaknesses. Neither of them was fighting to their full potential yet, and Kaname wanted to delay that moment as long as possible; for if Arisa came at him with everything she had, he doubted he would hold out for long without using any of his powers and strengths . It would only take a slip to let Arisa win; but he could not allow that to happen. He had come to a decision, and he knew what he had to do. But it all relied on perfect timing.

And with that thought, he lunged and swiped. Arisa was taken aback by the sudden savagery, and her parry was sloppy; she got scored across the back of her hand for her trouble. She cursed, pulling back, but the cut had not been deep enough to sever any nerves and her hand was still in working order. Kaname pressed the advantage, the short blades blurring between them, chiming and clashing as they riposted and dodged and lunged.

"Not bad," Arisa commented.

"How nice for you," said Kaname, and struck again, this time knocking Arisa's blade aside and punching her square in her gut. Arisa swore and staggered back, her hands flying to her stomach.

"You really weren't holding back," she commented between gasps. Kaname was breaking through her defenses by sheer recklessness. A sword fighter was supposed to be cagey and defensive, striking only when the opportunity was there. To do otherwise is to lose fingers. But every so often Kaname threw an attack for which Arisa wasn't prepared, one that was simply inviting a blade to the throat, and purely because its audacity it overwhelmed Arisa. He was fighting like a man who didn't care for his life.

Not any more, though. Next time, she would be ready. She had Kaname's measure now. One more mistake, and she was in.

Kaname glanced over at Kaito, and something in his gaze made the hunter tense; he saw the resolve therein. The pureblood was about to do something, but what? His guard was hardly even pointing the gun at him anymore, but he would still be killed if he moved. He was fast, but not that fast.

"That was a dirty trick, mister," Arisa said, not quite so cheery now. Her hands were bleeding freely and her eyes were bruising in a dark domino-mask. Arisa raised her knife, and her expression of anger was made evil by the foul red light that smothered the room through the tall windows. She lunged at Kaname. "I'm through playing now."

"So am I," said Kaname, and with a swift movement, he dodged aside and pushed Arisa past him like a bullfighter, spun and flung his other weapon, a knife, into the forehead of the man who was guarding Kaito. Arisa's blade scored his side, but she was too surprised by Kaname's move to lend it much force and it tore from her grip. Kaito twisted, pulling the gun from the guard's hands even as he stood with an expression of dumb amazement on his face and the hilt of Kaname's knife between his eyes. Arisa regained her balance in a second and pulled her pistol from its holster, bringing it to bear on Kaito.

Too slow. She knew that and she smiled a little as she realized what would happen. Left-handed, Kaito leveled and fired, and Arisa's shot went high as she was thrown backwards and fell to the ground, dead.

Kaito stood for a moment, his brain catching up to his reactions. Takuma was open-mouthed. Kaname stood there, his hand held to his side.

Then: realization.

"Kaname-kun!" Takuma cried, rushing over to where the pureblood stood. Kaname still panted from the exertion from earlier but he knew that it was all over for that woman. He sucked in his breath in pain as the wound was healing itself, and Takuma looked at him, sudden concern on his face.

"You're hurt," Takuma said, moving Kaname's coat aside so that he could examine the wound that had been dealt.

"Don't trouble yourself," Kaname said. "Just a scratch and it'll heal soon enough."

Kaito stepped up behind Takuma. "Well, Kaname Kuran," he said with a grin, surveying the scene around them. "That was quite a daring and reckless plan for a pureblood" he added before stopping suddenly, his grin fading.

"What is it?" Takuma asked.

"Over there," he said. "Something moved." And Kaito was there in a moment, dodging between the tables to the source of the disturbance.

"Ah," said Yagari, smiling through lips flecked with blood from where he lay among the clutter. "Can any of you kids get me out of here? I can't move the damn table of my legs."

Kaito laughed as the adrenaline of the moment faded and he helped the older hunter get up. The scene had quieted down but the mission wasn't over yet. There was no doubt that Rido was aware that they were here to rescue their comrades.

"There aren't any fatalities on our side," Yagari noted to Kaito as he turned off the communication in his phone. "Kaien would be pleased."

"I think he'll be more disappointed that he wasn't able to come along," Kaito smiled for the first real time in days. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he turned and looked up at the older hunter.

"I'll head outside and oversee the medical treatment of the others while you, Kuran, and Ichijou will move into the building from here and find Zero."

"And that pureblood we're fighting," Kaito added. "I can't feel a shred of his aura anywhere near this place."

"He'll be inside keeping an eye on Zero, I'm sure of that."

"Well I think we'll be able to handle it," Kaito grinned, but that smile faded slightly when he heard Ichijou call his name in a somewhat worried tone.

"Takamiya-san!" Takuma shouted, looking around him. "Where's Kaname-kun?"

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

Shielle had fallen into a fitful doze against the wall; Zero's jacket was draped around her shoulders. Zero watched the faint afternoon light from the window move across the room and tried in vain to calculate the hours. Usually he used his cell phone to tell him what time it was, but that was gone – he'd searched his pockets in vain. He must have dropped it when those men kidnapped him from that time in the alley.

He had bigger concerns, though. His mouth was dry and papery, his throat aching. He was thirsty in a way that was like every thirst and hunger he'd ever known blended together to form a sort of exquisite torture. And it was only going to get worse as time passed by.

Blood was what he needed. He thought of the blood tablets beside his bed at home, and his veins burned like hot silver wires running just under his skin. The recent events had him drained of his own blood from a couple times and it was now showing its repercussions.

"Kiryuu-sama?" It was Shielle, lifting her head groggily. Her cheek was printed with white dents where it had lain against the bumpy wall. As he watched, the white faded into pink as the blood returned to her face.

_Blood. _ He ran his dry tongue around his lips. "Yeah?"

"How long was I asleep?"

"Three hours. Maybe four. It's probably nightfall by now."

"Oh. Thanks for keeping watch."

He hadn't been. He felt vaguely ashamed as he said, "Of course. No problem."

"Kiryuu-sama…"

"Yes?"

"I hope you know what I mean when I say I'm sorry you're here, but I'm glad you're with me."

He felt his face crack into a smile. His dry lower lip split and he tasted blood in his mouth. His stomach groaned. "Thanks."

She leaned toward him, the jacket slipping from her shoulders. Her eyes were a light aqua blue that changed slightly as she moved. "Can you reach me?" she asked, holding out her hand.

Zero reached for her. The chain that secured his ankle rattled as he stretched his hand as far as it would go. Shielle smiled softly as their fingertips brushed –

"How touching." Zero jerked his hand back, staring. The voice that had spoken out of the shadows was cool, cultured, and vaguely foreign in a way he couldn't quite place. Shielle dropped her hand and twisted around, the color draining from her face as she stared up at the man in the doorway. The man had come in so quietly neither one of them had heard him. "A noble vampire and a young vampire hunter, getting along at last."

"Rido Kuran," Shielle whispered.

Zero said nothing. He couldn't stop glaring at that newcomer. The man padded into the green metal room like a cat, despite carrying a number of weapons with him like the silver sword that Zero remembered from a few hours ago and the mysterious dagger was housed in a black leather belt. There was a glint in his eyes that the young hunter didn't like and it was as if things were going as the bastard planned.

"Get up," he said to Zero. "Keep your back against the wall."

The young hunter tilted his chin up. He could see Shielle watching him, white-faced and scared, and felt a rush of fierce protectiveness. He would keep Rido from hurting her if it was the last thing he did. "What are you planning this time Rido?" he said. "Wasn't it enough the last time you sparked a war between humans and vampires?"

Rido's face was impassive, almost motionless. His lips barely moved as he said. "There are things that must be done in this world. If you don't do anything, then nothing will happen. If there is something you want, you have to take the action to get it."

"That doesn't justify your cause," Zero said, "What meaning is there in a goal where you have to shed so many bloods in order to fulfill it?"

"I don't expect you to understand my cause Zero," Rido said softly. "A shame really. You would have done well in joining me."

Now Rido smiled. It was a smile that moved no part of his face other than his lips, and those twisted only slightly. Then he brought his fist up. It was clenched; Zero thought for a moment that the pureblood was going to swing at him, and flinched reflexively. But Rido didn't throw the punch. Instead, he opened his fingers, revealing a shimmering pile of what looked like glitter in the center of his broad palm. Turning toward Shielle, he bent his head and blew that powder at her in a grotesquely parody of a blown kiss. The powder settled on her like a swarm of shimmering bees.

Shielle screamed. Gasping and jerking wildly, she thrashed from side to side as if she could twist _away_ from the powder, her voice rising in a sobbing scream.

"What did you do to her?" Zero shouted, leaping to his feet. He ran at the pureblood, but the leg chain jerked him back. "_What did you do?"_

Rido's thin smile widened. "A special powder my subordinates invented," he said. "It burns skin easily. Quite convenient if you ask me."

Shielle had stopped twitching and was curled into a fetal position on the floor, weeping quietly. Blood ran from vicious red scores along her hands and arms. Zero's stomach lurched again and he fell back against the wall, sickened by himself, by all of it. "You bastard," he said as the pureblood idly brushed the last of the powder from his fingers. "She's just a girl, she wasn't going to hurt you, she's _chained up,_ for –"

He choked up, his throat burning. It seemed the thirst was getting the better of him now. God, why was this happening now of all times?

Rido laughed. "For God's sake?" he said. "Is that what you were going to say?"

Zero said nothing and concentrated on ignoring the pureblood. He didn't want Rido to see his vampire side, the one threatening to appear now that his desire for blood was getting stronger. His eyes flashed crimson as he realized that Rido was now moving and this time for him. He evaded an attack despite being chained to the floor but the pureblood was fast and he gasped as he was kicked in the gut.

"_Bastard,"_ he gasped through the pain and he winced as Rido appeared behind him. Before he could comprehend what was going on, a needle pierced through his neck. His eyes widened in shock as the contents of the chamber were emptied into him.

Warmth spread through the area where the needle pierced him. Then, the warmth turned to fire, to acid, eating away at the delicate flesh inside his throat and throughout his body. His veins suddenly felt like impossibly long shards of glass were shooting through them.

_What the hell is this?_

It was too late. The whole thing was in his blood, and it was rapidly spreading. Too much of it.

The agony eased as numbness invaded Zero's body, moving from his feet, up his legs. He pulled away from Rido, but the numbness continued. The young hunter managed a scream of horror before the paralysis took over his vocal chords.

He collapsed onto the hard ground. Through his blurred vision, he saw the pureblood moving away and saying words he couldn't understand. The pureblood bent down and slashed a wound on his right wrist. The scent of his blood hit the air and he knew that other vampires would be able to smell it. Zero could do nothing to stop Rido as he stood in front of him, watching him die slowly and painfully.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

_Zero's blood._

Kaname gasped, heart pounding wildly as he scented the hunter's blood. Alarm bells went off in his mind, with the all too familiar sense that he got every time Zero was close at hand and in terrible danger. His hands tightened on the gun he was carrying.

The young pureblood shook his head, dispelling his thoughts, urging himself to go faster. He had a nagging feeling that something terrible was happening. His heart climbed into his throat, he wasn't getting there quick enough.

He threw one of the doors open, freezing when they banged loudly against the stonewall inside, the sound echoing louder then it should have through the halls. Kaname's hand instinctively went to the trigger. Everything was dead silent, not a whisper, not a footstep, nothing a sound, as though he was the only living thing there, and that wasn't a thought that sat well with him.

Cautiously he began to move farther into the building. He let his instincts pull him along, knowing that would be the quickest way to find the hunter. He slipped quickly through the empty corridors, worry rising as he met no other soul. He increased his pace, turning sharply left around a corner only to come to an abrupt stop when he realized where it was he was standing.

Before him stood the large ornate doors that led into a chamber with the Kuran family crest, the place was the exact copy of the one that his parents had many years ago. Cautiously he stepped forward, not missing the fact that guards that were supposed to be posted by the door were not there.

He readied his weapon just in case, slowly pushing the door open and slipping inside the room. The first place his eyes went was the far end of the hall. Kaname's face remained grim as he surveyed the rest of the room, only then noticing three figures in the room. One was a young girl who was lying on floor sobbing while the other two was his own uncle supporting the one person he wanted to find.

"Zero…" His eyes went wide. "Zero!" He rushed forward, forgetting everything about being cautious. He released his aura as he thought about what Rido must have done to the hunter.

Rido reached over his shoulder and drew the heavy silver sword from its sheath. Light played along its blade like water slipping down a sheer silver wall, like sunlight itself refracted. Zero's eyes stung and he turned his face away slowly.

"Lay one finger on him again, and I'll kill you," Kaname said harshly as his eyes burned a bright crimson red in his anger.

"You think I will listen to the words of a _child_? Or did you finally forget the vow you swore to me many years ago?"

"I swore you nothing," hissed Kaname, sounding nothing like the pureblood that Zero had come to know.

Rido gave a mirthful laugh. "Abandon everything to create the world where all of us could live in peace even if it meant killing others, is that what I told you? And did you not agree to those words?"

Zero didn't want to believe in those words. There was no way Kaname would agree to something so stupid. He wanted to say something in his partner's defense but his body was still completely paralyzed. All he could do was watch the exchange and hope that Kaname would be all right.

There was a moment of silence before Kaname unwillingly answered, "Yes, I did agree to those words once." Zero was unable to believe what he was hearing. Kaname had given up everything … he had agreed with Rido once? "And I willingly broke those same words when I met Zero and when I learned just how foolish that dream was."

"And you would do it over and over again, wouldn't you?" the silky tone was back in Rido's words, making the hair rise on the back of Zero's neck. His head was throbbing, and he was still so short of breath. He was too close to Rido's aura without any defense whatsoever, and it was making the air hitch in his lungs every time he tried to draw it in.

"You'd break your word, something you hold in high regard, to stay by _his_ side, wouldn't you, and yet… never once breathing a word of why," Rido's eyes were on Zero now, the young hunter could feel them, making his heart thunder loudly in his ears. "He never told you, did he?" Rido added.

"Don't say anything!" yelled Kaname, a level of desperation Zero had never heard in his voice before. "Don't you dare drag him into this?"

"But this has everything to do with Zero, does it not?" There was a smile there, twisted and wicked, Zero just knew it. "The reason you stayed, the reason you broke your most sacred words, the reason you protect him even now, when there's no hope for victory, and it's such a simple reason too." There was a pause, a gloating look at Kaname's expense. Rido's focus was back on the young hunter a second later. "All because he's in love with his partner, a hunter from the association. Because he fell in love with you, Zero Kiryuu."

Zero felt his breath stick completely in his throat. He couldn't get his mind around it. This had to be a trick. _Love_…? Kaname was…

But the dead silence coming from the pureblood told Zero everything he needed to know. Rido was telling the truth. Kaname's gaze was fixed on him, fearful of his reaction and the hunter couldn't understand, how could… something like that happen…

_What if he really did love me? What if he thought that we could transform this love into something deeper? _Zero was overwhelmed with the emotions surging through him. He didn't know what to think anymore. He should've known. He should've have realized it sooner. He wanted to say something but he couldn't.

"This blade burns you," said Rido, his cool voice sharp as crystal and piercing through the silence. "They say that those who die upon its point will achieve the gates of heaven. In which case, revenant, I am also doing you a favor." He lowered the blade so that the tip touched Zero's throat. Rido's eyes were the color of bright crimson red and yet there was nothing in them: no anger, no compassion, not even hate. They were empty as a hollowed-out grave. "Any last words?"

Zero didn't know what he wanted to say. He tried to speak some words, but a searing pain was making it through his throat. "_Kaname,"_ he whispered instead. A look of annoyance passed across Rido's features, as if the sound of his nephew's name in a hunter's mouth displeased him greatly.

"You too should know the sorrow of losing that which you wanted to protect," Rido said and he smiled as he stared straight at Kaname this time. "Watch the demise of that which you tried to protect. And curse your weakness," he added. Kaname realized what was happening and he surged forward but he was not going to make it in time.

"Zero!" Kaname shouted.

With a sharp flick of his wrist, Rido brought the sword level and slashed it with a single smooth gesture across Zero's throat.


	11. Lost Days and White Future

**A/N: **Hi there to all readers! Thank you for all those who reviewed the last update and for continuing to inspire me in creating another chapter for this quite long story. Also I would like to thank those who've added this fan fiction to their favorites and alerts list. ^_^ Anyway, I had been sorting out my ideas for this story and if anyone wants to share some ideas with me, I'll be quite welcome to it. Since the two week break from college is around the corner and there are finally no more paper works for a while, hopefully I'll be able to update the story or begin the new chapter sooner than scheduled.

Last chapter, several important things took place along with that startling revelation of Kaname's feelings for Zero. Chapter 10 also ended with quite a cliffhanger and I'm sure that you guys definitely want to know what happened to Kaname and especially Zero. Lots of things would happen in this chapter and this time we'll find out about everyone's fates and also several new characters that would be important in this story would also make an appearance. Well then, I hope all of you would like this chapter and don't forget to drop me a review so that I'll know what you guys think and if I'm somehow lacking something in this story, and hopefully I'll be able to remedy that…

By the way, you guys must've noticed that I've switched the ratings to M since I think that the events that would be featured by the next chapters would not fit into the present rating…

Let's not keep you guys waiting and here's chapter 11…

Please Read and Review… ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Lost Days and White Future**

Zero's silver-amethyst eyes gazed at Kaname's own garnet ones for a second as he whispered the name of the pureblood. _Is this really the end? Am I going to die like this?_ He thought as the sword slashed through his throat in one smooth motion. He watched everything as if from the distance and saw Kaname running towards him before he fell to the ground in a heap. The sounds and noises seemed so far away and he couldn't comprehend anything anymore. It was like he was completely detached from the world. Unimaginable pain tore inside of him before everything started to turn black.

The scent of the hunter's spilled blood seemingly filled the room. Rido's laughter roared above the silence as he watched the features of his nephew. Vampires should never fall in love. It made them weaker just like it did to Kaname, Zero, and countless of other vampires he had crossed paths with throughout his lifetime.

Love was only an illusion that would bring about the end of their race. And Rido knew better than to fall to such a devious trap.

_I'll win this battle this time and there would be no one to stop me,_ Rido thought darkly as he remembered all those who've tried to thwart him in his plans. Countless of times he failed but this time was different. _This meaningless world filled with confusion will be changed by my will. A new order… a new balance… I will build it all._

Kaname was stunned. His mouth hung open, lips moving in a phantom word, which his voice now refused to supply. His uncle raised the sword again, and without thinking, Kaname merely reacted in a split second. He sprang at Rido and his only thought was of getting that sword away from that bastard before he could further harm the hunter.

Rido smirked, raising his sword to strike, only to have it blocked by his nephew. A second later Kaname's fist slammed into his own face with a satisfying sound. He stumbled back, raising an arm in what could have been a gesture to protect himself.

Kaname went for another blow, putting as much force as he could behind the attack. The punch never connected though, his hand only punched through the air as Rido leapt away from him, throwing him off balance. He twisted around, anger burning in his eyes. It didn't last long though, as someone cried out Zero's name, making him remember himself in spite of his anger.

He gazed at Shielle who understood his message quite clearly. _Get help fast!_ The pureblood used his power to break the chains holding Shielle captive and she stood up shakily from her spot. She looked at him thankfully and hurried to inform the other hunters outside where Kaname directed her to. Within a moment, she was gone as she ran full speed despite her own injuries. Her heart praying that Zero would be all right. That he wouldn't let himself die in that man's hands.

"Zero." The hunter's name came out only as a breath. The pureblood rushed to his beloved hunter's side, ignoring his uncle completely. Kaname bent down beside Zero, trying to calm the hunter's pained cry. "I'm here," he tried to say soothingly. "I'm here. I'm here." He kept repeating those two words over and over again. All his focus was on trying desperately to do something to stop Zero from bleeding to death. The hunter was loosing far too much blood.

_Even though I promised to protect you… why couldn't I keep that? Why? _

He had been too late again. Why was it always like this whenever it concerned the people that mattered to him the most? He had the urge to shout to the heavens about the unfairness of it all. He couldn't lose the hunter too. Zero was all that he had left and Kaname felt that he would die as well if he lost Zero as well.

For the past few years, Zero had always been there for him, the only person who treated him like he was normal. There was never a time he felt alone whenever Zero was there with him. All those times he convinced himself that what he felt was just mere friendship and nothing more. Yet looking at things now, there was no way he could deny that what he felt for the hunter was _love._ Even his damned uncle knew what he felt though not once did he admit those feelings.

_I haven't even told you I loved you!_

He forced his tears not too fall as he tried to calm himself. Panicking wouldn't do him much good at all.

There was a way. There always was. He had to think of something. _Damn it, Kaname! Think of something,_ the pureblood thought angrily.

Zero was very pale now. There was an ugly gash at the base of his throat, and one of his wrists had been slashed, leaving gaping, ragged-edged wounds. Kaname knew that whatever weapon Rido used was definitely causing the wound not to heal. He had long figured out that Zero was indeed a vampire but none of his regenerative abilities were working.

_Please don't let this be happening…_ he thought desperately.

In a mad frenzy, he tore a part of his shirt for bandages. Not once while he worked did he stop murmuring words of comfort to the hunter. He wrapped the clothing around Zero's bleeding wrist, effectively covering the wound but Kaname knew that he couldn't do the same with the wound in the hunter's throat.

He felt a presence moving around the room and Kaname whipped around to find Rido watching him with dark amusement from the distance. The young pureblood bristled at him, but otherwise went back to focus his attention on Zero. _Don't let yourself be distracted,_ he thought to himself. _Think only about saving Zero._

That didn't stop Rido from commenting softly. "You're not going to be able to save him. Just like how you were not able to save anyone in the past, my dear nephew."

Kaname didn't even bother to spare him a glance. "That's what you think," he snapped back fiercely. "You have no idea how stubborn Zero could be." There had been a wry smile on Kaname's face, and that was a statement he very much believed.

"Everyone has their own limits," Rido retorted silkily. "He'll be lucky to live long enough for the next hour." Kaname was silent and Rido knew that his nephew was trying hard to deny his claims no matter how true it might be. "You've seen wounds like that before, you should know his –"

"That's what you think, Zero's –"

"Stubbornness won't save him from blood loss," Rido answered back.

There was a long moment of silence. Kaname's hands trembled as he fought to hold on to Zero. "I won't let him die," he stated determinedly.

"Believe that for as long as you like, Kaname," replied Rido while his voice was growing fainter. "It'll be all the more fun to watch when it all comes tumbling down on you. Until next time, _Kaname_."

Kaname turned towards Rido, a sharp retort on his tongue, only to find that part of the room was completely empty and Rido was nowhere to be seen, even his aura was gone. His uncle had gotten away again but he knew that he had more important matters to attend to. Zero's life was more important than his stupid revenge. Zero being alive meant everything to him more than anything else in this world. "Hang on, Zero," breathed Kaname, not sure if the hunter could hear him. "Please just hang on."

A cold feeling hit Kaname's guts, making his insides twist sickly. He wasn't going to let the hunter die. He wasn't going to let such a thing happen. He was still on his knees on the concrete. He felt utter pain at touching Zero's bloodied skin as he slid his hands under the hunter's head, pulling him up into his lap. He also felt the terrified childish horror he remembered when he was a little boy and having broken his mother's priceless vase. _Nothing,_ said a voice in the back of his head,_ will put these pieces back together again._

"Zero," he whispered, touching the hunter's face. His heart ached painfully in his chest, feeling like any minute it would break. And when it did? His breath caught slightly. He didn't want to think about it. His heart had been broken at his parent's death, and this time… he was certain he wouldn't be able to pick up the pieces. "D-Don't give up yet," he couldn't keep his voice steady when he spoke again. His usual calm demeanor was shot all to hell, and there was no sign of it recovering any time soon.

Time was running out.

Zero gasped suddenly, arching upward in the pureblood's grasp. Kaname gave a start and caught at Zero, pulling the hunter up towards him. Zero's eyes were wide and blind and terrified. He reached up. Kaname wasn't sure if the hunter was trying to touch his face or claw at him, not knowing who he was from this point on.

"It's me," the pureblood said, gently pushing Zero's hand down to his chest, lacing their fingers together. "Zero, it's me. It's Kaname." The pureblood's hands slipped on the hunter's; when Kaname looked down, he saw that they were wet with blood from Zero's injury and from the tears that had slid down his face without him noticing. "Zero, I love you," he said.

The hunter's hands tightened on his in return.

There was no way Kaname was letting Zero go anywhere. He'd fought so hard all these years to protect Zero, sacrificed so much to be with him, loved the hunter to the point where his heart would burst, and he would be damned if he let Zero die here.

Nausea rose in the back of Kaname's throat, his hand tightening on the hunter's. _Zero wasn't dead yet. There was still hope._ But God, the pain, it must be terrible. Zero couldn't heal, couldn't regenerate, not without –

Not without blood.

Kaname wiped away his tears and let go of Zero's hand for a moment and dragged his right sleeve up with his teeth. Using the jagged tip of the knife he had, he slashed a deep cut lengthwise down his wrist. Blood gushed to the surface. He dropped the knife; it hit the floor with a clang. He could smell his own blood in the air, sharp and coppery.

There was no time to think about anything else. He didn't care about the consequences if it could save the hunter.

He looked down at Zero, who hadn't moved. The blood was running down his hand now, his wrist stinging. He held it out over Zero's face, letting the blood drip down his fingers, spill onto the hunter's mouth. Kaname moved closer, his breath making white puffs in the cold air. He leaned down in his position, pressing his bleeding wrist against Zero's mouth. "Come on, Zero," he whispered. "Drink my blood."

For a moment nothing happened.

Then, Kaname felt a sharp sting in his wrist, a sort of pull, a hard pressure – and Zero's right hand flew up and clamped onto Kaname's arm, just above the elbow. The hunter's back arched off the floor, the pressure on Kaname's wrist increasing as Zero's fangs sank deeper. Pain shot up in the pureblood's arms but he urged Zero to keep on going.

Zero's eyes opened. The silver amethyst was gone; in its place was bright crimson hue that made Kaname's breath catch in his throat. There was a color on the hunter's cheeks, a hectic flush like a fever. His lips were slightly parted, the white fangs stained with blood.

"You have to take more," he coaxed the hunter, knowing that Zero was still out of it to refuse his order. If Zero had been more aware, he was sure that the hunter would not do as he was told. Zero was the type of person who always thought about the well-being of others and Kaname had a suspicion that Zero sees this action as something that would hurt someone.

He guided Zero to the hollow base of his neck and tried to force the hunter to take more of his blood. He waited for a while until he felt the hunter's fangs pierce his neck. He started, gasping at the sudden pain but remembering that he'd offered this. This was his idea. Still, this was the first time he had ever been bitten and he was unfamiliar with the feeling.

The pureblood twisted his hands into the hunter's hair and held the hunter's mouth to his in case Zero tried to pull away again before he got enough blood to help him.

Zero wasn't hurting him – not really – the pain that had started out sharp faded to a sort of dull throbbing. A drowsy sense of peace stole through Kaname's veins and he felt his muscles relax; his hands that had been trying to coax Zero to drink a moment ago now pressed the hunter closer to him. Kaname could feel his own heart, feel it slowing, its hammering fading to a softer echo. A shimmering darkness crept in at the corners of his vision, beautiful and strange. The pureblood closed his eyes –

Pain lanced through his neck. He gasped and his eyes flew open; Zero was moving away from him, staring at him with wide eyes, his hand across his own mouth. Zero's wounds were fading, but fresh blood stained the front of his shirt.

The hunter took his hand away from his mouth. The fangs were gone.

_I could've killed you, Kaname._ A familiar voice whispered faintly in the pureblood's mind. There was a sort of pleading in that voice. There was also a distinct smell of roses. As soon as he heard that voice, Kaname gave a start. He didn't know how anyone could've breached his secured mind.

But that alarm faded away as he realized whose voice it belong to. Strangely, it was Zero's presence.

For a moment Kaname sat paralyzed. Knowing that it really was Zero's voice. Realizing that Zero could communicate directly with his mind was very different from actually _feeling_ it. His first reaction was that he was hallucinating; it was impossible. But it was truly something real. Zero possessed the rare gift of telepathy and quite a strong one at that.

But he knew that it wouldn't be this powerful had Zero not taken his blood. The shared blood was linking them together little by little and Kaname was a bit afraid that Zero would freak out if he found out about that thing. _We're partially connected now,_ he thought suddenly. _We share half of the bond now._

"I would have let you," said Kaname wholeheartedly and tucking that new discovery for later. Right now, Zero's physical condition was more important.

Kaname knew that he had tied himself to the hunter by giving his blood but the pureblood also knew that there was no one in this world he would want other than Zero. If it could save the hunter from dying, he was willing to face the consequences.

_I'm sorry. _Zero's mental voice told him. Before the pureblood could answer, the presence in his mind was muffled by an enormous sense of weariness – even of dizziness, of illness. Kaname realized that he wasn't just feeling his own fatigue. Zero was on the verge of collapse. He was –

Kaname watched in surprise a few moments later as Zero began to fall and only his quick reflexes saved Zero from tumbling onto the hard ground. He called the hunter's name a couple of times but to no avail. Even the presence in his mind had disappeared completely. The pureblood was terribly worried but the hunter's vitals seemed to be stronger than before despite how shallow it still was.

Without wasting any more second, he scooped the unconscious hunter in his arms and quickly left the chamber. The pureblood expected a wave of dizziness as he stood completely, but he felt only a little weak and tired. He left in a rush and focused on finding help for Zero who seemed to still be in terrible condition despite taking his blood.

_I'll make you pay for this Rido even if it's the last thing I would do,_ he vowed silently as he held the hunter tighter to his chest.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

The vampire's frantic breathing slowed down to a steady rhythm as he stood warily on the corner of a dark and empty alley. He bared his fangs in anger as he remembered how close he was to drinking the sweet blood of that girl. Yet some damned vampire hunter had to interfere with his catch. He wanted to tear that person into shreds with his claws but he knew that without any form of sustenance for the past few days, it had left him weakened and no match for that mere human.

He had not hunted for days since he discovered the traces of some powerful individuals in the city especially back in the Old Town where he glimpsed the demise of one of his kind in the hands of a pureblood and a silver-haired hunter. An alarming feeling overcame his desire to ambush the two and he knew how dangerous it was to show his presence. His whole body had reacted to that fear and he had no choice but to escape without attracting attention.

Not this time though. Things had gotten more quiet than normal and he had not felt any strong presence around. He considered this event a lucky break and a perfect time to hunt for his prey.

He looked behind him in haste and was relieved to see that no one had managed to follow him. He decided to lurk in the darkness, intent on catching another prey off guard. His throat was burning quite painfully now and he needed to satisfy his thirst immediately. He longed for that sweet, crimson liquid. One that had been denied from him since several hunters had been chasing him relentlessly for some time and all he did was keep on hiding until they left him alone. He never even had a chance to catch his prey that way.

The sound of footsteps echoed dimly in the silence.

From across him, he found his long-awaited human and he licked his lips in anticipation. His enhanced eyesight picked out a young woman with long and way white-blonde hair whose startling light blue eyes shone in the dark. She was walking quite leisurely as she made her way across the street and straight into his hiding place. His crimson eyes narrowed into slits and his fangs lengthened considerably. She was almost close and she would finally be his next victim.

The vampire came towards the young woman at an inhuman speed and his fangs was bared towards her fully as he eyed the pale column of her neck. But before he could reach her, his movements stopped suddenly and he was jerked backwards by some driving force. He forced himself to move but he found that none of his limbs worked anymore and he was suspended in mid motion. He kept on struggling until he noticed thin silver wires wrapped around the various parts of his body. He was then lifted of the ground and the wires cut into his body quite painfully.

His blood oozed from the cuts made by the wires and he stared straight at the young woman who was smiling gently at him. Her fingers were guiding the wires that had captured him in an instant. He finally realized his mistake as he bared his fangs at her in hate. It was another one of those damned vampire hunters.

"You fucking hunters won't get away with this. You can kill me now but there will be others like me out there," the man growled as he stared at the young woman before him with disdain. He couldn't understand why they were being hunted like this. After all, he was only doing this for his own survival. He kept on struggling against those bonds that held him captive but to no avail.

"None of those things matter to me at all. I am merely doing my job and I would continue to do so as long as _he_ needs me. Now then, enough of this pointless chatter and answer me, vampire. Who turned you and sent you? I will be merciful depending on your answer," the young woman said as she pulled the wires tighter and the vampire howled in pain.

"Do you think I would tell you, you damned human?" the vampire shouted as he tried to claw at the calm hunter who captured him in her trap. He stared at her and his fear escalated as he realized that he had been mistaken once again. The aura he felt now was something akin to the ones he felt back at the Old Town. He knew then and there that this mistake would cost him his life.

"Very well, if you insist on having a painful death then so be it," the young woman told him coldly as her light blue eyes turned to a bright shade of red. Her gentle features unchanging yet there was a hint of something darker and frightening on those crimson orbs. "This is the end, fallen vampire," she whispered as the vampire screamed in agony at the pressure he felt in his joints. It was like he was being ripped apart to pieces and every nerves burned in an agony that he couldn't put into words.

_Don't lose yourself in your anger, Lilina. You're much stronger than you seemed to think._

The young woman was pulled out of her concentration as she heard those words in her mind. Those words that were spoken to her by the only person she ever cared about. She calmed down and her crimson orbs returned to their normal hue once again. _This is wrong,_ she thought to herself. _I shouldn't have made this vampire suffer like that._ With those thoughts, she pulled out a silver gun from her coat and fired it straight into the vampire's heart. She watched as the wires came loose and the level end's body crumbled to dust. With a flick of her finger, the wires disappeared from sight.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to no one in particular as she tucked the gun back in her jacket. If _he _had seen her right now, he would have been terribly disappointed with her.

There was a steady sound of clapping above her and she looked up to see a woman with reddish brown hair and dark green eyes smirking at her. The newcomer didn't even hide the contempt in her eyes. Lilina sighed deeply as she took notice of the familiar presence. _Why did she have to appear now of all times?_

"Well, who do we have here? For Vanessa Woodsworth to come all the way from the head quarter's… it must be hard on you," Lilina said calmly as she addressed the newcomer without showing her emotions. _He _had always told her to never show her weaknesses to her enemies and to always keep a cool head even in unexpected situations.

"Looks like you haven't caught _that witch_ yet, have you?" the newcomer mocked as she dropped down in front of Lilina. "By the way, I told you to stop calling me by my full name," she added in an irritated tone of voice.

"We are currently working on a plan for that, _Van,_" Lilina answered automatically.

She didn't want Van to know the troubles within the Hunter's Association and how much the current situation had prevented them from accomplishing the original mission given by the Elders of the two organizations. The recent deaths had all of them cornered and Marco's death had been a heavy blow to everyone especially to her since Marco was her former partner and to Shielle, Marco's prized student and her old classmate. At least, Van didn't seem to be aware of the recent developments as of late. And Lilina was content in letting it stay that way until the association had full control over things again.

"That witch will be captured by us and she'll be kept in custody by _my_ organization," Van said confidently. No doubt trying to break that calm exterior that Lilina had been producing since the start of their conversation.

"I see. That's a lot of trouble for you," Lilina said as she smiled gently at Van who seemed offended at that action.

"That's because all of you are taking your own sweet time," Van cried as she glared at Lilina heatedly. "Even Kiryuu had lost his edge. First-class hunter or not, I can't believe he couldn't even handle a simple mission," she added as she turned around to leave.

Lilina controlled the hatred that spiked from her as Van insulted _his_ name. Van didn't even understand what was happening and how occupied everyone was with all the things taking place at short intervals. She had watched close by how he had always run himself ragged trying to come up with a solution to their problems and how he always worried for everyone else's safety. They were all wrong about him and only a few of them ever understood the pain he always carried in him. She, Kaname, Yagari, and only a few others had seen him for who he was.

"So you want to prove that much that you're better than Zero Kiryuu?" Lilina asked suddenly.

Van looked back at her. "You're as detestable as ever, Lilina." With those words, Van finally disappeared from sight, leaving Lilina standing alone in the darkness.

Lilina gave a sigh. "You haven't forgotten that man's promise, haven't you? That when you become stronger than everyone else, he'll save you." She looked behind her and gave a small smile. "You know that eavesdropping is very rude, Cross-san."

Kaien Cross gave a weak laugh as he strode out from behind the trash cans and approached Lilina. "I never expected to see you once again," Cross said cheerfully as he studied the young woman before him. "It's been quite a while hasn't it, Aria Lilina von Kampfer?"

"You never visited the association much after all," Lilina told her former headmaster politely. "I work there as well and so do your other former students. It's been quite busy so I couldn't drop by the academy," she added as she began to walk out of the alley. The truth was she missed the academy which had been a home to her and where she met her closest friends. At least back in those days, things weren't so out of control like now. And most of them were still alive.

She couldn't stop herself from thinking about those days in the academy where all of them would lounge in the tree near the lake, talking about mundane things and being able to act like normal individuals no matter how far from reality that was. It was true that they kept a lot of secrets from each other but still, they had been through a lot in the academy. They didn't talk much about private matters like how some of them were vampires that Shielle feared so much. How there were hunters in their little group. How they were involved in some important matters regarding the organizations. They pretended a lot but wasn't it for the best. Things were so much easier back then as she looked back on it.

She remembered how Zero would lie down on the grass next to Yuki who would stroke his hair in a fond manner while looking cheerfully at them. She would see herself leaning in the tree and reading a book. Meanwhile, Kaito would talk animatedly with Akira and Yori. And Shielle would laugh lightly in the background and turn around to whisper something to Maria before bursting into giggles. Finally, Naoto would arrive to tell them that class would start in a few minutes.

Those thoughts faded as soon as it had come. Those were the old days and those were already long gone. What was left in her memories are just bittersweet feelings and it made her long for the life they all once had. Back when everything else was so simple.

"Still no leads in your end I presume," Cross said as he followed Lilina. He had been investigating himself when he ran into his former student. Lately, he had been doing nothing but trying to get some clues about the recent incidents. There was still nothing but he wouldn't give up just yet. Something would turn up sooner or later.

"Yes, it's true. Things are still looking kind of bleak in our side and without Zero; none had been moving as planned. Come to think of it, most of us had always been relying on him too much," Lilina said seriously. "It made us realize that we left all the responsibility to him. That's why everyone's doing their best now. We can't let him handle this mess alone after all," she added determinedly.

"I'm sure that he'll be glad to hear that," Cross said as he patted Lilina's shoulder.

"Is… is Zero going to be okay?" Lilina said with worry evident in her tone of voice. She had heard that he was badly injured from the last mission and right now, he was confined to a private hospital somewhere. When she had heard the news, she had to stop herself from rushing over to find him and make sure that he was okay. She hadn't seen him after all but she had managed to visit Shielle who looked worse for wear but no terrible injuries aside from the burns in her arms. The moment she walked in, Shielle sobbed whole-heartedly. The sight somehow made her feel like crying too. Whoever said that vampires didn't have emotions at all was plainly stupid. After all, her kind also had human emotions and right now, the prominent one residing in her was terrible sadness.

"There haven't been any changes in his condition and he has yet to regain consciousness," Cross said solemnly as he stared at Lilina. He knew that he couldn't lie to her at all and that she also deserved to know the truth. After all, she had been good friends with Zero since they were at the academy. "He isn't getting worse nor is he getting any better either," he added truthfully.

"I-I see. I hope that he recovers soon," Lilina whispered sadly. "I wish I could visit him though," she added after a while.

"You're also worried about him. The way you're looking right now is the same as Kaname's," Cross said suspiciously as he noticed something quite subtle in Lilina's words since earlier. He knew that Lilina had always respected and held Zero in high regard but did she also have a crush on him? It seemed quite unlikely but something told him that he was getting on the right track.

"W-W-What are you talking about?" Lilina stammered at the statement and cursed herself as she blushed wildly at the insinuation. Was she really that obvious? She knew that Zero would never feel the same way about her as she did to him but it didn't stop her feelings for him. Still, it was quite embarrassing for others to know.

"Nothing really," Cross said lightly as he took notice of Lilina's blushing countenance. "But don't worry, I'll inform you when he awakens and until then, stay alert. The enemy seemed to be targeting our group specifically," he added.

"I know. I'll be careful," Lilina said as she turned around and faced Cross. "After all, I wouldn't want Zero to have more things to worry about when he regains consciousness," she said with a hint of a smile in her gentle features. _Please be all right, Zero…_ _everyone else is waiting for you… always…_

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

A sinister fog was slowly building up that night as a middle-aged man prowled along the alleys. He kept glancing off on his shoulder as though expecting that someone was following him. He knew that he made a grave mistake by losing to a bunch of teenagers and he knew that he would pay dearly for that same one. The light overhead suddenly flickered and he looked up instinctively. After a while, he decided that it was nothing and hurriedly made his way.

He was a supervisor from some shady prison area at a remote town and he had this job for quite some time now. His main orders were to keep the level ends in an area without arousing suspicion especially from both the Vampire Council and the Hunters Association. He had been doing fine for a few months until he met up with a couple of individuals who that little brat had brought with him to that party. Later on, he witnessed his downfall and realized that those people did the one thing that would cost him his life. They exposed what was happening inside the prison. He was not at fault though but he was specifically ordered to keep things at a minimum. Because of those kids, their organization would be found out soon. Things couldn't become any worse than that and his fate had been sealed.

He had been let off the hook by the association after the unfortunate incident but all his work went down the drain and his property was confiscated. Not to mention, the prison which was supposed to be his organization's stronghold was now in the hands of their enemies.

"Damn brats, shouldn't have played with them at all… my work's finally going to shit…" the man muttered to himself as he treaded on his usual path. The first thing he had in mind had been to disappear until commotion's over. _Coward_ - that's what he is. But who cares anyway? His life was more important than his pride after all. There was no way the higher-ups would let something like this slide.

He had made a pretty big mistake.

He turned around the corner and came upon another street which was dimly lighted by a few lampposts. It was pretty dark but he had no problem with such things. He was a vampire after all even if no one would believe that fact. Though, only a Level C. Still, it enabled him to see in the dark and his hearing could easily pick up slight movement. If there is one thing that made him different from other vampires of his level, it was the ability to completely hide his presence. It was an ability that helped him disappear completely or made hunters see him as a normal and harmless little human.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, came the steady tapping of footsteps. Its noise echoing eerily through the silence. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, fear knotting in his whole being. How did it happen? He made sure to hide his presence while on the run.

"Who's there? Show yourself you damn fucking bastard!" he shouted as he looked around for the source of those sounds. He was only greeted by the footsteps getting closer. He had a half mind to bolt and turn back but it seemed that would be quite futile. There was no way he could outrun whoever was following him.

Out of the thick fog came a solitary figure. A young woman in her teens who wore a school uniform beneath her knee-length coat. Her long orange hair flowed gently with the breeze and her dull orange eyes shone in the darkness of the night. Her lips were formed in a gentle smile but the man wasn't fooled for a second.

Upon seeing this person he felt intense fear creeping through his veins, one that he never felt before. Scratch that – he did feel something akin to that a few months ago. It was during that time when those individuals from the Hunter's Association confronted them, he felt it then and he was sure he wasn't just hallucinating. They may be humans but their eyes were certainly frightening him just like now. The mere sight of her frightened him to his wits. He didn't think he had a chance to escape but maybe he could use some smooth-talking.

"Look here, Lady. It's just a careless mistake. Won't happen again, you hear? Didn't think that would happen," he said carefully as he eyed the beautiful stranger in front of him. She gave no response whatsoever as she stood there in the distance. Beneath his jacket, he was sweating bullets despite the cold weather. There was something really wrong with the girl he was with.

The girl walked towards him and her face still bore that gentle smile. The façade she used to hide her true nature. If her aura was anything to go by, she was definitely someone very strong but she seemed so normal and she definitely looked like a harmless school girl. The man backed a few steps until something took hold of him and he was frozen to the spot. _W-What the heck is happening to me?_ He thought suddenly. No matter what he did, his body remained still. What the –

"You're taking way too long," Arisa drawled in a bored voice as she watched the scene from the distance.

"It's none of your business," the young woman told her pointedly as she shifted her attention to Arisa. "Well, it was a waste that Kuran didn't manage to do you in. By the way, was it fun pretending to be dead? The bullet must've hurt quite a bit and I had the _urge_ to thank Kuran for that," she added tauntingly.

"Shut up!" Arisa answered back as she crossed her arms in her chest. "Those bastards just caught me off guard. It won't happen again. Besides, just do your job already," she added.

"You wouldn't even be alive if you weren't a vampire, Arisa. I told you that underestimating them would lead you into trouble. Not that I care though," she finished as she went back to the man.

His eyes widened as he saw her hands coming closer to rest upon his face. It was very gentle touch but there was something terribly wrong with it. From out of nowhere, he felt something probing his mind and he finally understood what was happening. She was viewing his memories –

"_Don't move! My dad… this is for my dad!" Kazuto bellowed as he held the gun in his shaking hands. Its muzzle pointed straight at Wesmeyer's surprised features. He cocked the hammer but his fingers didn't seem to want to pull the trigger. Why can't I do it? My revenge is right here, he thought angrily as he remained frozen on the spot._

_Wesmeyer stared at the gun in front of him but his features changed into a smirk as he watched the scene behind the stupid brat. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked mockingly._

"_Oops. We got caught," Kaito mentioned half-heartedly as he held both of his hands up in surrender to a number of guns trained on him. He wasn't the only one who met the same problem because Yuki also did the same and Kaname too except he didn't bother raising his hands._

"_If you care about their lives, drop your gun," Wesmeyer ordered as he watched the scene in front of him. Looks like the tables have turned; he thought as the kid wavered for a moment but still didn't drop the gun in his hands._

_Kazuto heard the order but he couldn't do it. He truly wanted to avenge his father and it was finally here within his reach. These people have helped him a lot but he couldn't let go of it now. "I'm sorry," he shouted out as he kept his gun trained on the man in front of him. He locked his gaze upon Kaname's garnet eyes and turned away instantly. He couldn't bear to look at them because it was his fault. All of it was._

"_Your revenge is futile like this. If you're shaking that much, you won't be able to hit the target. If you lift the gun up a bit and miss your target, you'll be in trouble," Zero said in an apathetic tone as he guided the gun and shoved it on Wesmeyer's mouth. "You are going to scatter his hot blood and brain matter, and blast through his skull with a bullet. The vivid image of his eyeballs and the contents of his brain bursting out from his dying face will forever haunt you for the rest of your life. Are you prepared for that?" he asked seriously as he shifted his steely silver gaze at Finn who looked at him in disbelief and fear. Meanwhile, Wesmeyer squirmed from his position and prayed on his mind that this kid wouldn't do anything._

_Kazuto looked away from the cold gaze he witnessed from Zero and he hesitated for a while. The way he described the things that would happen frightened him but he didn't want to lose it. His revenge. "Of course!" he answered with confidence as he shifted his gaze to Wesmeyer._

"_I see! Well, be my guest," Zero uttered as he took out his Bloody Rose and pointed it straight to Kazuto's head. The silver body of the gun glinted as bright as the necklace on his neck and the chains making its clinking noise on the silence that followed._

As the probing finished, the man sagged in relief but it was short-lived when he felt something writhing within his body. He suddenly panicked but there was nothing else he could do. The girl must be doing something to him. It was pain beyond measure. All over his body fire and heat erupted. He coughed a lot of blood and his eyes had already begun seeing red.

Still, that agony did not cease. Just when it couldn't get any worse, the pressure increased tenfold. With that, he wished that it would end. To let the pain subside once and for all.

The girl was still resting her hands in the man's face in a gentle caress but it was far from that. She was continually forcing her powers to that man. She didn't need him anymore and useless pawns were to be disposed of. There were no second chances. She didn't stop even as blood leaked from the man. It seemed that a level C's body couldn't handle the force of the power.

A _strange _power. Something that only a few vampires nor hunters possessed.

_If only I had this power before, everything would've been different._

A few minutes later, she let go. The man fell to the ground in a heap and apparently dead. She knew that in a moment the body would be nothing more than dust.

No one would dare link this vampire's death to Marco's and she was still safe in the shadows. She could still do her job with no problem at all.

The memories she saw from the man was stuck in her head and her smile widened as she remembered a silver-haired young man in it. There was no mistake on her part. It was definitely him. How long had it been since that fateful day? Far too long if she wasn't mistaken. She thought that they might never see each other again but apparently she was wrong.

It really was him in that stupid ball. As well as in that abandoned building.

She wondered briefly if he or the others could still remember that time. Well, not that it matters except things would become pretty much interesting now. She couldn't wait to see _them _again. Especially Zero Kiryuu.

She looked up at the sky and remembered such nostalgic feelings especially from Cross Academy. Far too many things had changed all these years. Yet it seemed that one place will always remain the same in her frozen heart. She couldn't wait to meet Kaname and Zero once again.

This time she would finish the job and she would make sure that they wouldn't get in her way again. This time she was certain that she would definitely kill Zero with her own hands. That this time he would know what kind of pain she went through. With those thoughts, she left the deserted alley without a backward glance.

_I can't wait to face you again, Zero…_

_Until then, don't die on me yet…_


	12. Free and Restricted Choices

**A/N: **Hi there to all readers! First of all, thank you for all those who've reviewed the recent update and shared their ideas with me… you guys have helped inspire me to write another chapter to this story… ^_^ Also I would like to thank those who've added this story to their favorites and alerts list… I hope that I would be able to write out this fanfic to your expectations… I was currently on a break from school and thank goodness for that since I was able to devote my time in making this new chapter… there were no paper works or reports to finish so more time to get my ideas in order…

Last chapter, several characters were introduced a little bit, starting with the young woman named Lilina who works at the association, as well as the mysterious individual who apparently murdered Marco back in the previous chapters. Many would get confused with the addition of these two new characters but then, they would be playing a pretty big role in this story which is almost halfway done. They would be making a number of appearances for the next chapters so it would be good to keep an eye on them.

Anyway, this chapter will pick up from where we left off in the scene between Kaname and Zero as well the scene between Cross and Lilina. I'll tie up some of the loose events from the previous chapters like the murders and some conversations in this chapter as well as the next. ^_^ Some mysteries would be revealed and the time of the battle seems to be getting closer at hand. Well, I've been keeping you guys waiting for too long so I'll end the notes here… by the way, I hope you like this chapter as well… so here's another very long update for this story…

Please Read and Review… ^_^

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**Chapter 12 - Free and Restricted Choices**

A fierce storm was finally breaking out in the horizon that certain evening. The stars were nowhere to be seen and the skies were covered by heavy, dark gray clouds. A rumble of thunder sounded from far away and the winds were picking up their speed. Sending cold gusts all over the place. It seemed like a foreboding. A warning that something terrible was going to happen in the near-future and no one would be able to stop it from taking place.

Winds flew from all directions atop a particular building somewhere in the city where the Hunter's Association headquarters was located nearby. The streets below were busy and full of life despite the harsh turn of the weather. The sounds of a car's engine, countless chatter of passerby's, and various others were mixed together in a cacophony of background noises.

The rustling of clothes could be heard amidst the noise as two individuals stood on the rooftop face to face. The area around them was filled with apprehension as they eyed each other with something akin to revulsion and anger. Stormy light blue eyes glared directly at dull orange ones who seemed to share the same sentiment.

If this wasn't such an important matter for the association, Aria Lilina von Kampfer was pretty sure she wouldn't waste her time talking to Sayori Wakaba of all people. She had known this _vampire hunter_ since way back and they had been good friends back in their high school days. But that was all in the past now. Everything was different this time and ever since that betrayal, she had never found it within herself to forgive Sayori even if some of her other friends had. Her acquaintance's recent coldness and anti-social behavior seemed to strike a nerve in Lilina, considering she was a pretty calm and sensible person most of the time compared to the others back at the headquarters. At least she was aware of how to behave appropriately unlike some trigger-happy idiots she knew in the headquarters. Like Touga Yagari or Kaito Takamiya. As that thought came into mind, she then understood why she was here and she promised herself to really pay back Kaien Cross for making her put up with this trouble.

She remembered walking back with Cross after her encounter with Vanessa Woodsworth and the older ex-hunter had asked her for this favor before she left on her merry way. Or in other words, _forced_ her to. Saying things about how _Zero_ would want her to do something about Sayori or that she would be doing everyone some good. In the end, no matter how much she wanted to decline, she agreed. Albeit, half-heartedly. She had searched for Sayori Wakaba as requested and encountered her walking away from some alley and she thought that she scented spilled blood from where the orange-haired woman came. But she didn't think much of it and invited Sayori to join her somewhere. After some time, they ended up here in the rooftop of all places with a storm almost breaking out.

It had been quite a while since she relayed the orders given by the Vampire Council and the Hunter's Association to Sayori. She could see the other was pretty pissed off with the verdict and Lilina wished that she wasn't the one here right now. She had far more pressing matters to attend to instead of dealing with a brooding ex-hunter who seemed to fancy her time making a simple decision. She still had that mission regarding Rido's whereabouts to deal with and recent events cropping up all over the place needed her attention now that Zero was still in recovery.

_What a way to completely waste the entire night,_ she thought exasperatedly.

She pocketed her gloved hands on her knee-length navy blue coat as the winds seemed to be unrelenting and though she didn't feel much of the cold like humans do being the noble vampire that she was; it bothered her on a certain level at least. The pendant she was always wearing glinted bright silver as it caught the light of the building's signboard. Its main purpose was to shield her aura to others especially from some of the hunters at the association who disliked vampires. Just because they accepted Zero Kiryuu as one, it didn't mean that the same could be applied to her. For them, she was a different case and only Zero's orders kept them from treating her too badly.

She wished that most hunters were like Marco Laforet, her partner in the association. The older hunter had treated her normally and not like the plague that she was around the others. He laughed and joked with her and showed her sincerity that she thought she could only see through Zero and her high-school friends. Thinking about Marco brought a spike of hurt in her heart. Like some guilt that Yagari told her that wasn't hers to carry. But she wondered if she was there at that time, things could have ended differently and Marco would still be alive. If she wasn't on some other mission, she could have helped him and prevented the tragedy from ever occurring. She knew though, that there were many possibilities and what if's. Yet none of those matter anymore, because everything had already happened. Marco was gone and her partner was never going to come back no matter how much she blamed herself. She shoved those thoughts aside. This was _not _the time to get sidetracked and depressed.

Her attention was then focused on the young woman in front of her who seemed to harbor so much hatred to vampires as a whole. She knew the reason to that but it seemed unfair to judge all of them as _monsters or beasts_.

Ever since Naoto died, Sayori had been like this and this was also the main reason why Lilina was here on such short notice. It seemed that this particular ex-hunter had been hunting vampires without orders from the association and sometimes even provoking sane vampires on a fight and injuring them. She was now given a choice to fight if the need arises and right now, Lilina was willing to do just that.

Couldn't her former friend even see how lucky she was that she was given this warning instead of facing instant punishment for her actions?

There were a lot of vampire families who were pretty bent on having retribution delivered at all costs. It wasn't like she cared about what happens to the ex-hunter after the betrayal they experienced on Sayori's own hands but she was well acquainted with Sayori and Naoto in the past. Heck, they were on such good terms that she wondered how things spiraled out of control like this. Lilina only hoped that this would end peacefully even if it seemed that it wouldn't, judge by the tension she felt in the air.

Lilina wondered momentarily how this particular person in front of her was the Sayori Wakaba she knew in the past. That person was a gentle soft-spoken girl who valued everyone's lives more than her own. She had this foolish notion not to take the lives of her opponents and it irked everyone around her when she always valued that belief. Some of them had specifically told her that she was placing her life in danger that way. Yet most of them couldn't deny that she was a very talented girl who saved countless of lives. She fell in love with Naoto and the two were happy with each other. Still, in the end, Naoto lost his life.

To an incident none of them managed foresee all those years ago.

_Was this the cause of Sayori's deep hatred for all of the vampires? Because Naoto died on a mission so suddenly and so brutally,_ Lilina realized as she tried to awaken a certain memory of pains better forgotten. It must be the source of this problem but it didn't mean that this hunter could direct all of her anger on them. Or precisely her for instance. It wasn't like she was the one who killed Naoto in the first place.

She could see as clear as day that the talk was going nowhere as Sayori glared at her with such intensity that if she was any other person, she would have been deeply unsettled. She pulled the navy blue beret she was wearing lower and sighed afterwards. _So much for doing this peacefully,_ she thought as she noticed that Sayori had pulled out the silver sword embedded with runes from her scabbard. She was trifle amused by this woman's impudence; even if she wasn't a pureblood, her power was pretty close to that level. Luckily for Sayori, she was quite different from other noble vampires that would consider her act as an open invitation to something akin to war. Lilina prided herself in being level-headed. _Most_ of the time, anyways.

"My, my, _little_ girl. An ugly beast has taken on such a cute form," Sayori said mockingly as she played with the sword on her hands, gazing at the beautiful woman who was once her good friend with hostility as pure and concentrated as acid. She knew since long ago that this person was a noble vampire and from what she remembered, a dangerous one as well. The pendant caught her eye and it reminded her of Naoto so much. He had always worn a bracelet with a similar pendant like that on his wrist. Minus the charms used to suppress a vampires aura. It was an ordinary accessory used to signify the friendship in the past that wasn't here anymore. "How revolting. No one will be able to identify what you were once I'm finished with you," she continued in a venomous tone this time as she held the sword in some form of stance that Lilina was pretty familiar with.

"I embarrass myself. I tried to hurt a good-hearted human once… when I should be hurting or killing vermin like you," Lilina responded as she kept her glare fixed at the orange-haired vampire hunter in front of her. She let the insults pass as she thought of a way to end this pointless fight. After all, she didn't come here with the intention to fight and further risk creating a rift between the vampire and hunter communities. It was already bad enough with all the level end incidents occurring here and there on a daily basis.

"_Vermin_?" Sayori repeated as she watched for any sign of movement from the young woman in front of her. There was something quite mysterious in the muted aura of this particular vampire and she was a bit unsettled by it. Even if she had known Lilina for some time, there were still a lot of things she didn't know about her. "I'm neither a wild nor contemptible beast," she continued as she warily looked for any openings but sadly found none. Sayori didn't want to admit it but this was the first time she faced a vampire of this kind of level. Also, she was a bit unnerved by those eyes. Those deep light blue eyes seemed to just know everything. To be able to see through things that she couldn't. It reminded her so much of Zero Kiryuu. His amethyst yet sometimes silver eyes unnerved her as well back in their school days. It was like he knew so many things that she didn't with his stare. Were most vampires like those two? No, she had to focus. It doesn't matter. None of it does. She couldn't let Naoto's death come to waste. There was no reason to be frightened now.

After all, how many people had she managed to send to hell recently? Hunters and vampires didn't even stand a chance. Why should it be any different now?

"I have no interest in your reasons for appearing again after what you did in the past and the trouble you caused us back then. What matters is that you're going on a rampage and breaking the pact that everyone fought hard to create," Lilina said in an indifferent tone as she closed her eyes for a moment. She concentrated deeply as she tried to expand all of her senses. "I'll teach you a lesson here you will never forget, _Sayori Wakaba_," she uttered as she opened her now bright crimson eyes and stared at the ex-hunter who couldn't hide the fact that she was astonished by that sight. After all, she never really showed her vampire side that much. She hated to see the frightened faces of the people around her just because of what she was. Lilina was currently tapping into her vampire abilities to help finish this fight sooner but then, she needed to hold back a bit or risk seriously hurting Sayori no matter how much she hated this person right now.

"Give me your best shot, monster," Sayori barked as she leaned forward and grasped the sword tightly with her right hand. She willed herself not to fear this vampire in front of her as she realized that she was mistaken in thinking that this would be an easy fight. She couldn't use the techniques that killed the lower level vampires. Mental assaults were useless after all. It seemed that this vampire was on a whole other level than the others she had fought recently. She realized suddenly that if she couldn't defeat Lilina what the chances would be of facing Zero who was a lot stronger than this vampire. The young woman in front of her didn't look all that strong.

But she knew that looks could be deceiving. Lilina wasn't merely a normal human. Sayori was currently ignoring the distressing signal given to her by her hunter senses. In the dark, those bright crimson eyes looked frightening than the eyes of those she had faced before. She didn't think she had heard anything about Lilina from the other people at the association all those years ago when she worked there. Marco only told others that Lilina was strong and that he was lucky to have her as a partner. She only caught things like 'she's really dependable and hardworking' or 'she's pretty cute and nice even for a vampire.' She doubted those words before but now she wasn't sure. If Lilina was there, would Marco's fate have been different? She wondered for a moment before she began her assault.

Sayori lunged instantly as the winds died down but Lilina avoided the attack with ease and reappeared behind her with vampire speed. Sayori followed her movement and tried to deliver a slash of her dagger as she turned around but it was met with a sound of metal striking against metal. She saw in Lilina's hand a silver dagger and she was momentarily nonplussed at that revelation. _Another vampire is capable of using an anti-vampire weapon?_ It was the second time in her career to see something like that. It was impossible for a revenant to be able to touch a hunter weapon. Zero was able to since she was told that the young man also had hunter's blood in his veins. _Who are you really, Lilina? You're not just an ordinary bloodsucker, _she thought angrily as she jumped away from a kick aimed at her gut.

_The knife or sword is both a weapon and a shield. So when fighting with those weapons, as long as you can block the enemy's ones, you will win._

Lilina remembered those words that Zero had told her once when they were training back at the headquarters many years ago. She realized how useful that advice had been on countless occasions she had to face renegade vampire hunters. Lilina knew that Sayori's sword was coated with a powerful anti-vampire charm and she didn't fancy himself getting injured by it. The last thing she needed was for the others to worry about her well-being as well. Besides, she already promised Cross that she would be careful. And she never broke any of her promises if she could help it.

She resisted the urge to smirk as she saw the disbelief written across Sayori's face for a moment when she drew out her own weapon. Of course she knew that this hunter was wondering about how a vampire like her could also use a powerful anti-vampire weapon so easily. She always saw that look from various hunters she faced and frankly she thought that it wasn't really anything that special. There were various others of her kind who could handle hunter weapons and it wasn't as if she was immune to the effects. This dagger was a gift to her by her partner when they first joined up on a mission and it had always been with her since then. It was a customized weapon that only she could use just like Zero's own Bloody Rose.

A combat knife was sent her way and she avoided it with her speed before it even came close to grazing her. She watched as Sayori moved her hands and Lilina knew that the former was casting a spell. "Ashes to ashes… Dust to dust… The vampire killer's crimson cross!" Sayori casted as she raised her hands and bright orange flames burst forth from her open palms. She gazed evenly at Lilina who only looked at her calmly before she hurled the flames on that direction.

Lilina evaded the spell as she moved backwards consecutively, not letting the flames reach her. She knew that it was a powerful charm and would no doubt burn through her flesh easily. She didn't want to risk getting injured by the spell and relying on her vampire healing to do its job. She briefly wondered how this ex-hunter managed to learn a spell of this level. She thought that Sayori didn't like spells like these and refused to learn them years ago. She jumped away and landed on the fence of the rooftop. Her bright crimson gaze burning through the darkness that surrounded the both of them. She moved away again as another flame was thrown her way and she looked back to see the fence became scorched by the intense heat.

"Your efforts are futile," Sayori said arrogantly as she watched Lilina avoid her attacks and who seemed to have no intention to strike back. "You seem to be doing a lot of fleeing. If you don't look where you're running, you'll hurt yourself," she added as she created flames from the ground and watched in satisfaction as it met the vampire she was fighting. She smiled in triumph as she watched the form slowly wither away.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Lilina uttered back as she sat on the railing of the water tank and gazed at the surprised features of Sayori who thought she was caught in that trap. From the burning flames came several streams of water in the shape of miniature dragons, all of them heading towards Sayori who quickly moved out of the way. Lilina praised the hunter mentally for making her use one of her vampire abilities. Right before the attack, she had already created a water clone of herself while she hid in the shadows. "You really are something. If you were an average person, this fight would be over by now."

"It looks like I'm not just killing time after all," Sayori shot back as she smirked at the calm figure looking down on her from the railing. She still couldn't identify what was wrong in her senses. There was just something about this vampire that she couldn't quite figure out. At least, she now knew that this young woman was just too strong. She couldn't even afford to slip up or else she knew that she would lose in a split second. Is this really the new hunter's association? How much had the members changed ever since she left? She wondered how strong the members were now since she could clearly see that this vampire wasn't a pushover like the others she fought and killed.

"_Your fireworks_ couldn't hurt a fly," Lilina told her indifferently as she stood up and landed gracefully in front of Sayori who was concentrating on creating flames once again. "I guess the fun is just beginning," she continued as the water dragons came from out of nowhere and flung itself towards Sayori who jumped away instantly and ran the length of the rooftop to avoid the deadly barrage of the waters Lilina was controlling

Sayori couldn't believe how the odds were against her now. Every vampire and hunter she fought had succumbed to her but this one was so different that it frightened her to a certain extent. Yet despite the fear, raw anger was brought to the surface. How could she let vampires roam free? Wasn't it the job of vampire hunters to exterminate them? She couldn't understand why there was this coexistence at all. She certainly didn't need such a thing. There was no way she would accept the vampires. She was foolish in thinking that there would be such a thing years ago.

Lilina knew what was in Sayori's mind as she attacked the arrogant hunter with her water dragons. She knew the hatred this person had for her kind was too ingrained in her heart. If things were different, she knew that she could still try get along with this person. Because she knew what it felt like? To have a strong hatred that it was the only thing that mattered. All of the people she knew did understand those feelings. Kaname Kuran, Zero Kiryuu, and Kaito Takamiya were some of those who could relate to them.

But things were different now and she had changed after all those years. That was why she couldn't let this incident or that betrayal pass. Sayori had to know what she was dealing with and how stupid it seemed to fight a noble vampire who worked with vampire hunters. Lilina knew that there were far stronger individuals than her out there in this world and if this hunter couldn't beat her, what chances would she have against those vampires? Sayori would just die a pointless death.

Maybe, she _still_ cared for Sayori. Only a _little_ bit, though.

"What a pathetic attack for a former vampire hunter," Lilina said apathetically as she stopped her attacks. "You must be pretty weak. You're not fit to be called a vampire hunter if you're only at this level," she continued as she tried to provoke Sayori, watching whether the former would lose her cool in a situation like this.

"The _weakest_? Not a _real_ vampire hunter? Who do you think you're talking to, you rotten piece of shit? Nothing will be left when I'm through with you. It's time to die, vampire!" Sayori shouted menacingly as the words that Lilina spoke sent a flare of anger in her system. Those words made her recall terrible memories and succumbing to anger seemed a good way to push away the memories instantly.

She stood back and gazed at the female vampire with fire in her eyes. "One of this world's five major elements, the grand fires of Genesis… the blessed light that nurtures life, and the light of judgment which delivers punishment unto evil. Though it brings peaceful fortune, it also acts as the fiery misfortune that pierces the cold darkness. Its name is flame… Its form is a sword… Show yourself by claiming my body, and show your great power!" Sayori chanted as larger flames than before appeared from out of nowhere. A towering fire that was shaped in the figure of a huge lion. The fires were scorching the length of the place but Lilina didn't seem perturbed by the sight. With a loud roar, the fires headed in Lilina's direction but the latter didn't move out of the way.

Sayori watched in disbelief as the flames she created with her one of her strongest spells were blocked by a towering wall of water that sprung from out of nowhere. Then a huge water dragon that appeared from the ground extinguished the flames in a torrent of steam. _How could such a thing happen?_ She thought as her prided attack vanished away. She could not believe what she saw and she realized how strong high-level vampires were.

She managed to react in time as Lilina moved with vampire speed and appeared before her. She deflected a kick and countered with a punch that only met with the hat the vampire was wearing. Her vision registered the unique features of the young woman she fought with. Flashes of memories from a time where everything else was different appeared in her mind. She thought back on how things ended up this way. Lilina _used to be her friend._ But now, they were nothing more than enemies.

Sayori smiled grimly to herself. Here she thought that she had forgotten all about the past. That she had finally moved on. She had thrown away all her human emotions that day a few years ago when she betrayed the hunter's association. It was done by her free will. And that free will was the one pushing her to do the things she was doing up to this day. Yet she also wondered how much of those was her free will, wasn't her choice quite restricted back in those days?

"_I told you to give up already didn't I?" She smiled bitterly as she made a downward slash of her sword on Marco's body as he gazed at her with pity in his clouded eyes. The blood flecked her face a bit but she didn't care… _

"_I know that you're the one who's been killing those vampires from the council," she said off-handedly. "Well, personally I don't care about such things. I could assist you but let me tell you this, I have my own reasons. And I don't like being ordered much," she added. The pureblood merely smiled at her and she glared in response…_

_She stood in the corner as she watched the stupid party that some people hosted. Really, what was the point of sending here there of all places? She looked around and spotted someone familiar who in turn saw her as well. She smiled a bit as she walked away…_

_She stood at the rooftop where some vampire who Arisa was supposed to watch went out of control. She waited for a while to execute the man but it seemed the association had beaten her to it. She watched as Zero and her old acquaintances left the building. She was going to leave until those silver eyes stared at her indifferently…_

_She sulked at the front of the van as she thought about how those bastards she was working with took out Zero by such unrefined methods. Didn't they ever hear of a fair fight? She thought angrily. She sighed as she began thinking that her former superior wouldn't be defeated like this. After all, she still had that unfinished issue with him. With that, she began to relax and waited for the time that he would escape… _

_She focused all of her powers on that foolish level C while Arisa watched in the distance. She stared as the vampire convulsed from the influx of the charm before dying. She left without a backward glance and ran into Lilina who wanted to speak to her… _

"By the way, something interesting is going to happen in the streets of the cathedral sometime soon. Maybe this week or the next. I think that someone from the council is going to die again," Yori said lightly. "Not that it matters though since I'll finish you off now."

She then concentrated all of her power on the last attack and created a powerful anti-vampire charm made of flames. She hurled the fire in Lilina's path and watched the crimson eyes of her opponent widen in surprise. There was an ear shattering explosion and smoke filled the length of the roof. She laughed lightly as she realized that Lilina had escaped her grasp once again.

The heavy fall of rain drowned out all the sounds and extinguished the flames she had unleashed. She smiled a little as she found another worthy adversary. A foe that would make things a bit more exciting than before. She didn't mind as she became thoroughly drenched by the cold rain. All her thoughts focused on Lilina. _This fight isn't over yet, vampire…_

Meanwhile, Lilina breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned against the wall on an alley a few blocks away from the building where Sayori was. Her wet hair and clothes clinging to her body. She was quite lucky to have guessed the charm that the hunter used or else she would have been ashes long ago. She thought that it was necessary to report this development to the others in the association. After all, she now knew that Sayori was partly involved in this mess. And if what the ex- hunter told her was true, they could prevent a murder from happening again.

She watched as people ran in all directions to take cover from the heavy fall of rain. She didn't bother with such things. Water was her element and she learned to love the rain since she was little. With one last look, she disappeared into the night. Leaving no trace of her presence there at all…

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

It had been two weeks since the incident and the hunter's condition still hasn't changed. During those days, Kaname Kuran had done nothing but stay at Zero's side. He had been increasingly worried but he tried not to show it to everyone. He had to maintain his composure and he tried to make it look as if he was only looking after an important friend. There was no need for others to know about his true feelings. Yagari had left him alone and told him that Lilina would take over his missions for now. That is why he was always here, waiting for Zero to regain consciousness.

He listened to Zero breathe. The hunter's breathing was shallow, his chest barely rising with the motion. The doctor had discussed it with him and Yagari that it was a result of a certain drug as well as some others in the hunter's system. The poisons running through Zero's bloodstream were injected during the time of his capture and Kaname cursed himself for not finding his partner sooner. _How could he let that bastard Rido do this to Zero? He should've done something,_ he thought angrily. There were also some sedatives and injections before the main poison according to the diagnosis. Kaname clenched his fist tightly as he realized the implication of that statement. There was no other word for it. They had done other things to Zero and it pissed him off to no end. He was certain that if he found out the others who had hurt Zero, he would relish in ripping them apart.

The hunter's features were paler than usual, and a dark shadow hangs under his eyes, but the pureblood knew that it was how anyone would appear during unstable days. If not for the poison running through Zero, he'd be completely all right. His blood made sure to heal all of the injuries that the hunter sustained.

Kaname couldn't help but remember those terrible moments back at the enemy's hideout. He could still see vividly in his mind all those blood, those tears, and everything else. _So close._ He had come so close to losing Zero forever. It was the first time in his whole life that he felt such unimaginable fear. He already knew that the hunter was his only weakness and his uncle had figured it out in that instant. He should never have gotten close to Zero. He should have known the risks. He should have just let Zero pull away that time. Yet despite everything else, he knew that he could never bring himself to do such a thing.

Zero was the only person he could ever hope to love. The only person who could make him happy again.

And right now, Zero Kiryuu was here. He was still alive.

The hunter twitches from time to time and a vein jut out of his neck. His hands were fisted in the sheets as he endures the painful symptoms of the withdrawal. Yet Kaname had a suspicion that a nightmare was also involved and he doesn't know which was worse. He knew that Zero had his own darkness hidden from everyone else. Had things in his past that he would rather forget. The pureblood wished for nothing more than to help the hunter even take away all those nightmares. It was uncomfortable to watch without having the power to do anything to help. Kaname's throat goes dry and he forced back the tears when he thought about how much Zero suffered at the hands of his own uncle. He noticed that his own back was aching a bit and he realized that he had been leaning forward for too long. There was also a nagging headache from all of the stress. Yet he couldn't bring himself to think of his own insignificant aches and pains.

_Wanting to help someone but not being able to really do hurt,_ Kaname thought suddenly.

The pureblood had been alone with Zero in the room for several minutes, nearly three-quarters of an hour. The only person to come in from time to time was a nurse who had been monitoring the hunter's condition. She usually looks over the needle poking into Zero's arm and takes note that his brain is still functioning.

Everyone else had a good sense to leave the two alone. Not even Yagari or Kaito steps in. The pureblood was thankful for that. He really wanted to be alone with Zero. That was how it had been for almost three years; the two of them had been partners for that long. And he only realized now how important the hunter was for him.

"_Did you ever regret being partnered with me, Kiryuu?" Kaname asked suddenly as he walked alongside the hunter after their first mission. "Partnering up with a vampire really doesn't sit well with the others at the association," he added lightly though there was a hint of sadness in his garnet orbs. _

"_If I was going to regret things, Kuran, I would've never considered partnering up in the first place," Zero answered as he continued walking. "Come on, Kuran; don't look at me like that. Try to cheer up. I'm sure you'll be better off this way…" he added. _

"_You're definitely weird, Kiryuu. Is it because you know about my family history or something else?" Kaname asked curiously. But he felt glad to hear those words from Zero nonetheless. _

"_I dunno about that. Blame it on my momentary lapse of judgment. Does it really matter Kuran?" Zero asked as he glanced at Kaname and the pureblood tried not to stare too much at Zero's amethyst orbs. _

"_It depends really. Why? Does it bother you, Kiryuu?" Kaname continued in a teasing tone._

"_You know, sometimes you really do get on my nerves." Zero sighed deeply as he fixed Kaname his glare while the pureblood smiled at him. Upon seeing that, the hunter's features softened a bit. "But I guess its pretty fun to be partnered up with you. I look forward to working with you, then," he added as he held out a hand to Kaname._

"_Likewise, Kiryuu," Kaname said softly as he grasped the hunter's hand and shook it._

At those memories, Kaname's head hangs down low; his chin nearly touching his chest. His neck aches a bit for him to lift it and he considered settling it against the edge of his bed. Yet the pureblood was afraid that if he allowed himself that minimal amount of comfort he'll fall asleep again. Before he could decide, he heard someone shuffling against the cold, concrete floor. _Probably the nurse again,_ he thought after a while.

"Kaname-kun?"

It wasn't the nurse, it was Takuma Ichijou. It was past the allotted visiting time and Kaname was surprised the nurse allowed Takuma to come. The pureblood had only been allowed because he used his authority on the matter and that he was given the permission by the association. He wondered how his friend managed. He didn't dwell at the present matter and he smiled at his friend. The young noble had been visiting from time to time to inquire about Zero's condition as well as to force Kaname to take care of himself.

"He's still fighting through the sedatives," Takuma says softly, while Kaname gazes at the hunter's still form. "He'll wake up soon so don't worry too much." The pureblood appreciated Takuma's optimism. It helped settle his frayed nerves a bit.

"I understand," Kaname answers back. "I'm taking care of myself properly, Takuma," he added as he noticed his friend looking at him.

"Come and get something to eat with me," Takuma prompted.

"No thank you," Kaname answers automatically.

"Can I bring you something, then?" the blond noble asks gently.

"I'm not hungry," the pureblood mutters back. As pleased as he was to see the blond noble, he also wanted him to leave if he kept forcing him. Kaname didn't want to leave the room as much as possible. He didn't want the hunter out of his sight especially with his uncle on the loose. He made that mistake before. He wouldn't let it happen again.

Takuma ignored the coldness of his tone and steps closer. He stares at the blinking lights and listens to the beeping of the machines surrounding Zero, and somehow, he understands the meaning for them. He knew that Kaname also understood those machines and he could only hope that because they have neither stopped beeping nor begun beeping rapidly, that they shouldn't worry. The hunter would get better and he'll regain consciousness soon.

Takuma produced a small bunch of beautiful orchids, the same color as the hunter's own eyes. He had bought them before visiting Zero. There were also a couple of flowers whose scent was used in aromatherapy. The florist told him that it was used for nausea and combating sleepiness. He placed the flowers in the vase next to the bed and he hoped that it would ease and help Kaname. The scent floods the room and he smiles back at Kaname's grateful look.

Several seconds pass as the two of them stare at Zero's unchanging appearance. Kaname wanted to see the hunter's eyes again. He needed to know that there was still life behind them. The hunter's breathing was shallow and he knew that it was uncomfortable. He wondered about how Zero could possibly be getting enough oxygen that way.

"Kaname, I'm worried about you as well," Takuma says into the silence and Kaname snapped away from his thoughts. The blonde's emerald green eyes were trained at him.

"Worried about me?" Kaname asks. He wanted to tell Takuma that he didn't need to. It wasn't like there was something to be worried about. He was perfectly fine. Before he could voice out his opinions, Takuma spoke again.

"You've been in here for hours."

Kaname understood what it meant. He didn't spend much time with the sick and wounded. In fact, this was the first time he refused to leave. This situation was entirely different. The pureblood didn't answer because he really didn't know what to say to make Takuma understand. _Where else would I be?_

"Kaname, none of this was your fault. Don't blame yourself for what happened," the noble says softly while trying to get his point across.

Kaname shook his head. It was _his_ fault after all.

"No one can hold you responsible for the actions of your uncle. Zero understands this, you know. He wouldn't want you to carry any guilt. I know that you are a pureblood but you're going to make yourself ill this way." Takuma pauses and shuts his eyes as he realizes that he said too much. "I'm a bit afraid," he adds.

Kaname knew that Takuma had a right to be afraid. There was more than enough going around the place that is worth being afraid of? However, in all of the times everyone encountered truly dangerous situations – the missions, the murders, and rescuing Zero – not once did his friend admit his own fears. _Why now? _

"What are you talking about, Takuma?" Kaname whispered. The blonde noble sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. No one had been sleeping well for the past few days. Kaito had told him once that everyone was on the look out for things. Some were even taking sleeping medication just to get enough rest. Takuma moved closer and laid a hand on Kaname's shoulder. His green eyes looking at the pureblood sincerely.

"Look at you, Kaname. You've been forgetting to take care of yourself again. Besides, things are getting worse these past few days. I know because grandfather is having problems in the council. Right now, I don't know what to do anymore. I can't even tell Aido and everyone else what is happening," Takuma confessed. "I feel so lost, you know," he added mournfully.

"You've always been stronger than me, Kaname. Even after all that happened in your life, you've always moved forward. You've always done your best for everyone. When it comes to me and all of our friends, your heart could not be in a more noble and beautiful place. But the way you look at Zero, during the missions and especially now, I'm quite afraid that you won't survive."

Kaname glanced over at Takuma and attempted to grasp the noble's words. He was a bit confused. "I don't understand what you're implying, Takuma," he murmured.

"After he was captured, you were so broken. I never thought I would see you like that at all. When it comes to this hunter, everything is so strained, everything is all or nothing. When I look at you, I could see that you would be prepared to give up your life for him."

"I know that he would do the same for me."

"You are too attached to him, Kaname. Think about it, what if he doesn't wake up? What if his mind is broken after what Rido did?" Takuma asked without a hint of emotion as he pulled away. There was seriousness in the noble's tone and Kaname knew those words all too well. He had heard the doctor say things like that from the hallway. Things they tried hard enough to hide from everyone. Because of the strain and the drugs, it is likely that the hunter's mind would be ruined. There was a chance he wouldn't remember anything. There was also a possibility he might lose control of his muscles or even be paralyzed. He'd be even lucky to retain his ability to speak.

"Stop, Takuma. There is no need to say anything anymore," Kaname ordered through his tightened jaw. He couldn't stand to consider those possibilities, even if they were likely. Throughout his time in sitting there, he tried very hard to keep those thoughts out. It was either that, or lose his mind to grief completely.

The entire time he was at Rido's hands, it felt like his chest had been cracked open. He thought that he would have to learn to live with a festering hole in his body, in his own heart. But he tried; he did his best to save the hunter. He managed to do so and the opening was sealed shut. He could breathe normally again. He could think and move and hope again. But to imagine him so damaged, so destroyed, the crack in his heart would open yet again. The pureblood thought that he could not take such abuse over and over.

"Will you be able to handle it? Can you handle it?" Takuma asked.

Kaname closed his eyes so he didn't have to see Takuma's frightened face. "Please stop, Takuma. Do not test my patience," he commanded as he clenched his hands together in fists.

"Your so-called guilt is crippling your judgment, Kaname," Takuma chastises. Almost all of Kaname's close acquaintances knew that he felt a tremendous amount of guilt over what had happened to Zero. Yet Kaname thought about how could he possibly feel differently? If he felt nothing at all, wouldn't that make him the most loathsome person in the world? That would put him on the same pedestal as Rido Kuran. He nearly exploded on the implication. Takuma continues, "I'm afraid that if you don't distance yourself from it you'll miss out on what's right in front of you."

Kaname's eyes snap open and he looked at Takuma with narrowed eyes. He thought throughout the speech that his friend was inferring that he wouldn't be able to handle it if Zero was too sick, if he becomes a completely different person because of what happened. "What do you want to happen? Do you want Zero to die or be too sick so that I'll leave him alone?" Kaname answered in venomous tones. Takuma steps back, surprised at the pureblood's anger.

"No! I want you to be happy. Promise me you'll let yourself be happy," Takuma told him sincerely.

Kaname breathed out irritably in response. He stood up and takes a few steps away from the bed to stare outside the window. He couldn't even look at his friend directly. "We can't make promises like that anymore, Takuma. Not when things are out of control this time." He couldn't even fathom Takuma's words. How could his friend think of something as fleeting as happiness when it always took everything they had to simply stay alive? Besides, only Zero could make him happy. Without the hunter, everything would be dull and lifeless.

The pureblood heard his friend's footsteps as they are fading away; it seemed that Takuma decided to leave the room. He hoped that his friend realized the ridiculousness of what he had mentioned in this conversation. While Kaname stood facing the window, Takuma calls out to him softly, "Zero would also want you to think about your own happiness. Whatever that would be. Anyway, he might act cold and uncaring but he's a really nice person."

Kaname paused and tried to contain his feelings for one more second, but when he turned around, Takuma was already gone. The pureblood walked back to his previous position as he felt his chest ache at everything that had been happening and he collapsed into the uncomfortable chair next to Zero's bed. He placed his head on the mattress to rest for a little bit. He felt so drained, so pathetic and useless as some stupid tears fall from his eyes again. Wasn't it enough he cried so hard that time when he thought he was about to lose Zero? He realized that Takuma was right about one thing, his relationship with Zero was a strain. They had been continually placed in the most impossible circumstances neither of them had to endure. Zero more than himself.

His relationship with Zero was also tainted with a string of failures. Kaname wanted so desperately to keep the hunter safe. Instead, he continued to lose things over and over. A few of his close friends, his life for a few agonizing moments, and now his mind is in jeopardy. Not to mention the many time he had hurt the hunter's own feelings. Their attachment to each other is so ridiculous now that it seems so wrong. How could Zero stay with him when it only hurts the hunter more? It would be better maybe if Zero hated him for failing so many times.

Suddenly, Kaname's breathe hitches and the so-called wound in his chest opens a little bit. It wasn't because he feared for Zero's body and mind; it was because he contemplated that the hunter might hate him. He had this thought before, but never this kind of reaction. Since the beginning, their partnership had become a given. Everyone knew about it and both of them had theoretically accepted it, even if both of them didn't understand its implications or what the future might bring. If Zero didn't bother with him, the hunter would've have never gotten to this point. He would be safe. But that thought didn't bring the pureblood the joy he expected. He knew that if Zero despised him and decided that he no longer wants to stay by his side; this hole in his heart would never heal. Then again, maybe it would be the perfect punishment. Zero has suffered repeatedly as a result of being with him. It would only be right that he should take on the hunter's suffering. He didn't deserve to be healed at all.

This would be the guilt that Takuma had been accusing him of, the guilt that is supposedly crippling his better judgment. But Kaname didn't care anymore. He rarely had the chance to make his own decisions based on his own feelings. He was a person as well after all. He wasn't invincible as others viewed him. Time and time again he as well as many others had become a pawn in some greater plot that none of them understood. After his parents passed away, his life was being set up for the council. He had no choice in that matter. Things were different now. Ever since he met Zero, he learned to be selfish for once and pursue what he wanted. He understood now that Takuma was only telling him to follow his own heart.

_Even if my guilt is affecting my decisions, at least they are my own decisions. At least it is my guilt,_ Kaname thought after a while. Sometimes, guilt was the only thing that reminded Kaname that he was still alive. Just like before when his parents died. This guilt now reminds him that Zero was still alive.

Mentally and physically exhausted, Kaname was unable to lift his head from the bed. The mattress was soft and the linens feel nice on his skin, it provided him rest from all of his aches. He knew that if he closed his eyes he would soon fall asleep. Sleeping was risky for him. The nurses might decide to move him, or Zero, and the pureblood knew that he didn't want to be separated from Zero right now.

"_About your family. I didn't realize…" Zero said softly as he sat from across the table._

_Kaname gazed down at my drink, twisting the cap back and forth, forth and back, wishing Zero would just let it go. "I don't like to talk about it usually," Kaname answers. _

"_I know what it's like to lose the people you love," Zero whispers, reaching across the table and placing his hand over the pureblood's, infusing Kaname with a feeling so good, so warm, so calm, and so safe – Kaname closes his eyes and allow it. Allow himself to enjoy the peace of it. Grateful to hear what the hunter says and not what he thinks. Like a normal person – with a much better than normal friend._

"_Um, excuse me." Kaname opened his eyes to find Lilina leaning against the edge of the table, her light blue eyes widened in surprise and fixed on our hands. "I am very sorry for interrupting. Please continue." She says before hurriedly walking away, apologizing along the way._

_Kaname pulled away like it's something shameful, something no one should have to see. Wanting to explain how what she saw was nothing, how it meant nothing, even though the pureblood knew better._

Kaname heard a clumsy, muffled groan, and while he tried to think about the dream, he realized that he must have fallen asleep. It wasn't for very long since the nurse might have found him when they would check in for Zero.

_Zero…_

Did the hunter make the sound that woke him up? A shot of adrenaline runs up on Kaname's spine and he stood up in an instant. He looked over at Zero frantically. The hunter had not moved an inch. The pureblood's eyes move back to Zero's pale features and he stood perfectly still, listening hard. Zero does not make another sound, but he takes a deeper breath, one that caused his chest to expand.

Zero's eyes open slowly. He even blinked slowly. Kaname thought that Zero was about to lose consciousness again when his eyes flicker in the pureblood's direction. The hunter only stared at him. Zero didn't even smile not move. His amethyst eyes, now dulled and nearly lifeless, only stare.

"Zero?" Kaname asked.

The expressionless way that Zero stared at him was terrifying. It wasn't like the Zero he always knew and was familiar with. Had Zero forgotten him? Had his uncle been successful in burning away his memories? The pureblood thought that maybe it would be better off that way. It didn't matter now if this crack in his heart existed. The hunter would finally be free of his attachments to him and maybe he would discover an existence where he isn't continually suffering.

"Kaname," he whispers. Zero's voice was hoarse and Kaname could barely make out the hunter's words even with his enhanced hearing. But Zero did whisper his name. It was difficult for Kaname to keep the elation from playing across his face. The hunter had not lost his ability to speak. It wasn't lost and the doctors were wrong about their assumptions.

"I'm here," Kaname answered softly. He sensed déjà vu as he realized that it was the same words he uttered to the hunter that time.

_"It's me," the pureblood said, gently pushing Zero's hand down to his chest, lacing their fingers together. "Zero, it's me. It's Kaname." The pureblood's hands slipped on the hunter's; when Kaname looked down, he saw that they were wet with blood from Zero's injury and from the tears that had slid down his face without him noticing. "Zero, I love you," he said._

"You said the same thing last time," he whispers again and Kaname was surprised that Zero knew about that.

For a moment, the pureblood wondered how much Zero knew about that moment. How much had he heard? There were a lot of things he said that time and he thought realized that he said some pretty embarrassing things as well.

"Zero," Kaname begins slowly as he gulps down a growing lump in his throat. He was a bit afraid of startling the hunter so he decided to keep his sentences short and straight to the point. Zero only needed to understand that he was safe now; everything else like the one-sided bond, Rido's escape and everything else could come later. "You're fine now, Zero. Rido wasn't victorious in that fight. I made sure of that."

"But… I'm…" The hunter's breathing picked up and the machines began to beep a little faster. Kaname panicked instantly and thought of alerting the nurses, but rushing out of the room might only upset the hunter more. Instead, he stepped forward so that his hips hit the edge of the bed and placed his hands on the mattress.

"It's all right, Zero," Kaname whispered gently. If anyone heard that, no doubt they would be surprised. He had never really been gentle with anyone before Zero came to his life. "You're sick, but you're safe." The beeping began to slow down and so did Kaname's own heart rate. He noticed the hunter's hand closest to his own was trembling as Zero attempted to move and exert himself. Slowly, Kaname moved his right hand underneath Zero's and intertwined their fingers. He placed his left land on top and press gently. The hunter doesn't have the strength to squeeze back, but he was trying. It filled Kaname with hope for Zero's recovery.

Kaname looked away from their hands and up at Zero. The dullness of the hunter's eyes had washed away. Even with the small amount of artificial fluorescent lighting coming from the hallway, they are shining miraculously. Tears were falling down his cheeks.

"No, please don't," Kaname murmured. If Zero cries, he knew that he won't be able to handle it. The pureblood knew that Zero didn't have the strength to lift his arms so he disengaged their hands and placed his against Zero's cheeks. Kaname's thumbs wipe idly at the hunter's falling tears. They feel lukewarm on Kaname because his skin is so hot. He realized that Zero was running a fever. Maybe he would have to get the nurse soon. "Please don't cry," Kaname begged.

_I never thought I'd see you again, Kaname._ Just like last time, Zero's voice was inside his head. The bite wound that had closed already began to throb. Kaname noticed that Zero can't still seem to muster any emotion on his face. The drugs have him too fatigued. It's a little off-putting to see Zero cry without even a wrinkle between his eyes. Kaname realized that he was a mess enough for the both of them.

"Me too," Kaname answered sincerely.

_I'm sorry about last time. _Zero apologized and he must've sensed Kaname's surprise. _I guess it's pretty weird to talk like this. I can't seem to have the strength to voice out what I want to say._

"Its fine, Zero. There no one I would trust with this but you," the pureblood said truthfully. "Besides, you're alive. That's all that matters," he informed the hunter. In the past few days, he needed to tell himself these words frequently.

Kaname couldn't hold back his sobs any longer. He was far too exhausted and too relieved. He pulled himself forward so that their foreheads touch. His skin was chilled by the drafty room and Zero's was overheating. The pureblood's whole body was shaking with tremors from his uncontrollable weeping. Their tears mix together against his hands. Kaname's eyes squeeze shut and he regretted it. What if Zero disappears from beneath his hands when he opened his eyes? Things far more fantastical than that had happened in the past after all.

_You know, crying really doesn't suit you, Kaname._ Zero's voice cuts through his sadness.

Kaname's breathe trembles as he exhaled and he forced his wet eyes to open. He reluctantly pushed himself back and takes a swipe at both of his dripping eyes. He laughed a bit. He really must look terrible. What would the others say if they saw him now?

"Yes, well, same for you," Kaname retorts back. Breath escapes suddenly from Zero's chest. Kaname recognize it as supposed to be a laugh, even though the hunter was unable to lift his lips into a smile. "Do you want to know how we got you out?" Kaname asked. He just wanted to keep Zero talking and get him as lucid as possible.

_No. I wouldn't understand right now. I'm a little fuzzy on details._

Kaname dragged his hands down so they are resting on Zero's chest. It was foolish to keep the hunter awake. He was still very sick. "You should rest."

_No!_ The voice in the pureblood's mind shouts suddenly. Kaname was startled and one of his hands shoots up to the side of Zero's face where he gently caressed the hunter's hair to calm him. _Please, don't let me sleep right now. I could see terrible things in my dreams and I sometimes see what happened that time._

"It's okay. I'm here," Kaname tells the hunter softly as he continually caressed Zero's hair. He needed to calm the hunter's distress."And by the way, it's night. It's two-thirty in the morning. We—"

_Don't say anymore. I don't care. I'm fine now. _

"I apologize. I don't really know what I'm saying," Kaname confessed. The pureblood noticed Zero's hand beginning to shake again. "Don't do that. You're too sick to move. Just tell me what you want."

_Just hold my hand. _Zero asked tentatively. Kaname nearly laughed again, thinking back to the time when it was quite awkward for the two of them to hold hands. The pureblood braced himself as he decided to do one better. He took Zero's hand like before, but now he sat on the bed, facing the hunter, and laid their arm across his own lap. Zero still couldn't smile, but Kaname can see in the hunter's and feel in their uncompleted bond that he was happy, at least for the moment.

_Tell me more about you, Kaname. _Zero instructs.

Of course. His favorite topic of discussion. "I've been here, waiting for you to wake up."

_And before?_

"I was waiting," Kaname answered enigmatically. Zero had already said that he didn't want to know about what happened with Rido and Kaname surely didn't want to confuse the hunter with whatever was going on with the association. Zero was unaware of those things, and he would remain that way as long as possible. There was no point in filling his head with fodder for more nightmares.

_What does that mean?_ Zero questions. _By the way, just because I can speak to you this way. It doesn't mean that I could read your mind well. Although I feel that you're hiding something from me… Kaname, tell me what to think. Tell me what I don't know._

Kaname understood that he directed the hunter to him what he wanted, but the kind of information going around will be too much for Zero to handle right now. "Not now," Kaname answers softly.

Kaname hears a sigh on his head but Zero doesn't say anything more. He looks up at Zero's empty face and wiped away another stream of tears that have fallen down his cheeks. Kaname knew then that he had to face Zero and his own heart.

"If the joint project never happened, I never would have gotten to know you, would I?" Kaname said suddenly, knowing that it was a good place to start. It was simply the first place that his mind conjured as he thought about Zero.

_Probably not. I'd never worked out the courage to get to know you and talk to you then. We would've gone on with our lives not knowing each other._

That time felt like an event that occurred a thousand years ago. As he looked at the hunter, he believed that Zero was a kind-hearted and strong person in the past as well as in the present. He may not have known Zero before, but he believed the hunter is the same. He is still kindness and light in a darkening world. Kaname sighed and stroke Zero's knuckles with his thumbs. The hunter sighs once again in response and his eyes look like they are becoming heavy.

"I can't help wondering what it would have been like if I didn't volunteer for this joint project. Would anything be different?" Kaname told Zero as he gazed at the hunter. "I know that life would have been quite unlike what we have now and I would have gone to the council as a member. But even as I entertain those thoughts, at the same time, I despise them, because if I never volunteered that time, you and I would've never met at all. I would always feel like I lost something very important."

_But you didn't know me that well. You would still be happy._

Kaname kept staring at their hands, even though Zero's face was probably still petrified by the drugs and won't betray his emotions. Kaname knew that he would be able to recognize when he would hurt the hunter's feelings again. "Maybe," he admitted. "I'm not sure if any of us understand love or fate or destiny or whatever its name is. But, I believe timing is part of it. Perhaps, in the end, it defines all of it. I know all of that because I met you." Kaname finally looked up at the hunter. It seemed that Zero understood the significance of the words he had chosen. Kaname knew that their meeting changed everything. There was no more denying it.

_Kaname. _His voice whispers gently.

"I can't live with myself knowing you're hurting," Kaname acknowledged. It felt so freeing to finally accept the truths he seemed to have been struggling to understand these past months. It no longer felt like he was trapped underneath them; it felt like a relief from the strain of fighting against them.

_If it's guilt that you feel—_

"It doesn't matter if I felt guilt in the past or if I feel it now…" Kaname cuts him off. He paused and swallowed once so he could calm his voice. "And I know it's more than that. I'm broken. I can barely function when you are away from me. It hurts too much." He thought back on that time when he knew that Zero had been kidnapped and all that time he felt like he had been living with a massive rift in his body. Especially, that time when he felt that he almost lost Zero. He filled his heart up with grief and guilt just like Takuma accused him off, but no one offered any other kind of solace to him. No one, not even his closest friends, closed the rift completely.

_Do you love me? _

Kaname turned his head and looked away. Knowing that he does, knowing that he loved Zero with every strand of hair, with every skin cell, with every drop of blood, that he was bursting with love, boiling over, but he just can't bring himself to say it now. But then again, if Zero can truly read his emotions, then he shouldn't have to say it. Zero should just _know._

Ever since Kaname had been a child, he had been surrounded with nothing but hate and violence. He had known punishment, he had known fear, and had known grief. What did he know of love? Instantly, he thought about Zero. Loving the hunter had always been easy and natural. He looked over at Zero, who looked at him questioningly as he remained silent after the question. The pureblood leaned forward, so his chest was hovering over Zero's and his hands rest against the hunter's shoulders.

"Let me protect you. Let me take care of you. I don't want to be separated from you, ever. Please don't push me away."

_I want you to be happy, you know that, right?_

"I know. You heal me. You are the only thing that closes up this hole in my chest. You make the nightmares go away. I want to do the same thing for you."

_You always have, Kaname. Though you never noticed it. I thought it better to distance myself at first. Only I couldn't. I tried. I've been trying all along. But I just couldn't do it. I can't stay away from you. And now you know everything even the fact about me being a vampire. Though I think it's obvious why I couldn't be quite so forthcoming all the time._

"Zero…" Kaname whispered as he leaned forward even further so that his nose aligns next to thh hunter's. Zero's eyes were close and his hot breath fans over Kaname's lips. Zero was still too warm and the pureblood was distracted by the heat radiating off the hunter's body. He really did have to go get the nurse soon. "I do love you, Zero. You don't have to tell me the answer right now. I know how to wait, really. I've already waited this long to get to know you. I can wait even more."

_You have no idea how much you've helped me. I don't know what I would've done without you. You're the only reason I got up each day and put one foot in front of the other._

"With that said. Can I kiss you?" Kaname asked. He couldn't stop himself. "Though, you can't move, and you probably won't remember this conversation," he added.

_I'll remember everything._ Zero vowed as he opened his eyes.

Kaname smiled softly as he held Zero's amethyst gaze with his own garnet ones. He had truly fallen in love with the hunter, a young man he barely knew before. Even now he was willing to transgress the laws of his society. After all, he could never love anyone else but Zero. He leaned closer to the hunter and he watched Zero's eyes widened in surprise. He had never kissed anyone before without some underlying reason. If he kissed the hunter now, it was because he wanted to. The idea was momentarily overwhelming to him.

His body position was a bit uncomfortable because he was not putting any weight onto Zero; there was no sense in making it more difficult for the hunter to breathe. It strains his back and neck simultaneously. Zero was still swimming in a sea of drugs and the pureblood was positive the hunter won't remember this the next time he wakes up. Maybe it was that thought that convinced Kaname to move forward, close his eyes, and press his lips against Zero's.

It was an odd kiss, Zero can barely push back, nor can he lift his arms to embrace Kaname. Still, something electric and indescribable sweeps through the pureblood – something Kaname only had a fleeting memory of. It flows through his shoulders to his fingertips, from his spine down to his toes and back again, until it whirls around in his chest sewing up the last of the rift, permanently.

Zero was so surprised at the feel of Kaname's mouth on his that he went rigid all over. He did not, however, push him away with his mind, and clearly taking this as a sign of encouragement, Kaname slid his hand behind Zero's head and deepened the kiss, parting the hunter's lips with his. The pureblood's mouth was soft, softer than Zero imagined it to be, and the hand that cupped his neck was warm and gentle. For him, Kaname tasted so sweet.

Zero let his eyes fall shut and for a moment floated dizzily in the darkness and the heat, the feel of Kaname's fingers moving through his hair.

As he turned off his ability to speak to Kaname with his mind, he could only realize one thing as Kaname kissed him. _The truth is I do love him. I've loved him without ceasing. I've loved him even though I don't know when it started. I loved him even when I swore to myself that I didn't._

_I can't help it… I just do…_


	13. Seeking Lost Time

**A/N: **Hi there to all readers! Thank you for all those who've reviewed the last chapter and also added this story to their lists. You guys have kept on inspiring me to go on with this story… ^_^ My two week break is almost over and my classes would resume in a few days time so I was hoping to finish this newest chapter as soon as possible. And finally here it is. ^_^ I would be quite busy again but I'm hoping to be able to update more in that time. –sigh- I'll be handling a new batch of paper work once again.

Well, let's not keep you guys waiting… and here's another chapter to the story…

Please Read and Review… ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 13 – Seeking Lost Time**

Touga Yagari had been pacing in the office for the better half of the hour, his agitation clear in the manner of his movements. The light in his cigarette had long been extinguished but he paid no heed to it as he continued on with his _certain_ task. Several thoughts had been racing in the forefront of his mind lately, and it was a tumble of ideas that gave him quite a headache as well as a matching temper. The events from the last few months had been quite frustrating to say so in the least. Several hunters and vampires were murdered by some mysterious assailant. Rido Kuran had returned to bring more trouble to them. Sayori was working against the association once more and things were not looking too good on their side. All in all, he was having quite a crappy week. Looking at it from his point of view, the pacing and agitation was clearly understandable.

He had taken a couple of missions for the past few days just to loosen his frayed nerves. Hunting rogue vampires seemed to help in calming down his mixed emotions but lately, it didn't seem to work anymore. He had been aware that something was changing in the horizon and he knew that whatever was going to happen wouldn't be good news at all. And _that_ added to his list of growing problems.

The only good news he had this week was that Zero had already regained consciousness but the young hunter was still unable to participate in missions. At least this time though, Yagari was able to have a consulting partner _or _partners if he counted Kuran even if it involved visiting the hospital numerous of times. Making decisions by himself had been draining to some extent. Kaito was busy with tracking down Rido's whereabouts, Cross had the academy to deal with, and Lilina was still stationed in the cathedral streets. He would've wanted their opinions but they had their own tasks to finish. And it left him to do _everything_ all at once.

Well, it gave him an insight about Zero's job in the association and how _freaking_ hard it was in reality. As soon as they clean up this mess, Yagari vowed to himself that he would _force_ the young hunter one way or another to take a _long_ vacation. The kid deserved it and maybe it was high time the others in the association start working seriously. Of course, he wasn't talking about the hunts but rather the paper work to be submitted. _How hard was it to pass a piece of paper?_ He always finished his on the dot. Late papers tend to pile up and it added to Zero's duties.

Seriously, what was so _hard_ about passing a written report?

His mouth opened in surprise as another thought invaded his mind. One he didn't expect at all and it caught him off guard.

He finally noted clearly how he was acting like a _father._ What the _hell_ was that about? Of course he was always worried about Zero but this was the first time he even thought about things like that. Looking back at the time he spent with the young hunter, he didn't think it would warrant such a stupid thought. Zero had been with him for a long time so it was natural to feel at ease with the young man. He even took over the young man's hunter education and trained him for some time. Of course, there was some hair ruffling, the scolding and nagging, the worry and such – _oh hell._ He stopped that thought before it could go any further. He was really acting just like a father. No wonder Lilina was giggling most of the time he was with Zero. Her hyperactive imagination was probably at work again. And he didn't fancy that one bit.

His phone rang suddenly, interrupting his private and frustrating musings. He walked the length of the office to pick up his phone and answered, "This is Touga Yagari speaking. Who's calling?"

"It's Aria Lilina. This is urgent. I feel something weird here near the cathedral. There's an aura somewhere of a high level vampire or a rogue hunter but I can't pinpoint its location," the voice in the earpiece said seriously.

"A high level vampire or a rogue hunter?" Yagari asked in disbelief. He had no proof that it would be Rido or Sayori but it wouldn't hurt to take this chance. He had thought that Sayori had no connection to this incident anymore after the trouble she caused at the association in the past. He remembered that Lilina swore that time that she would never forgive Sayori for her betrayal. Yagari could only wonder how their meeting had gone.

"I have a bad feeling that a murder is going to be committed again tonight. I'm still posted here and there hasn't been anything else but it might not be much time before something does," Lilina answered once again. "I'm going to need some back up and fast," she added.

"All right, I'll be heading there with some of the hunters and I'll try to call up Kaito as well," Yagari said gravely. "Meet you in a couple of hours."

"Roger that." The call ended and Yagari shoved his phone in his pockets and made his way out of his office, summoning the available hunters to the meeting room. He also sent a hunter to notify Zero and Kuran about the latest mission. As soon as that was done, he left the headquarters along with the others. They had arrived a few hours later in the location; they opted to do things covertly and hoped that they would catch the culprit off guard…

The streets near the cathedral appeared to be deserted that night for some people who passed by, but the truth was a different matter. Those who watched the tortuous lanes and darkened alleys were master at the craft of hiding, observing unseen. Most of the experienced hunters were here tonight, slinking from shadowed doorways or peering over gutters from tiled roofs. Among them walked Kaito Takamiya, strolling nonchalantly alongside the slender frame of Shielle Adnade who was recently released from the hospital and volunteered for this mission vehemently. Stating that she wanted to help this time and not be a complete burden. They patrolled the streets just as Yagari and Lilina did, pushing through the sparse tendrils of mist with their eyes darting about, knowing that, somewhere nearby, something was waiting to strike. In all of the location, there were perhaps fifty men and women whose sole aim was to spot the murderer and prevent the kill. But this place had many streets and many alleys, and in the final analysis, would it be enough?

A small truck drove past Yagari and Lilina, probably returning from some late-night delivery. Yagari, a night-creature by trade, knew well how the heartbeat of the city sped and slowed in the dark hours, and he knew that even on night it still pulsed dully with traffic and commerce. People still visited, lovers stalked home after arguments, favors were called, and urgent business were concluded. The city never slept, but only dozed with one eye open.

Lilina felt the cold breath of the breeze across her skin, a chill rippling in its wake. But it didn't bother her that much, having gotten used to such temperature and because of her being a vampire. Together with Yagari, they turned on to another connecting street and strolled onward. Yagari touched the tip of his top hat at a couple coming the other way. With his features concealed by the shadow of its broad brim, and his weapons concealed by his heavy coat, Yagari made an entirely convincing gentleman or civilian. No one would suspect that he was out here to hunt someone. Or _something_.

The two had been walking for perhaps two hours now, making random paths through the streets, not knowing what they were looking for or if they could even deal with what they would find.

"Excuse me, sir?" came a voice at Yagari's elbow; he looked around to see a small, pale-skinned lady in an elegant yet simple black dress. She slipped out of the shadows of a stone stairway. "Could you please offer some assistance?"

Yagari glanced at Lilina whose light blue eyes stared right back at him. It helped confirm his suspicions that this woman was another noble vampire. The aura was pretty weak and he came to the conclusion that she was suppressing it. He then nodded to the woman. "How can we be of service?"

"I'm being followed, sir," she said politely. Yagari felt Lilina's grip tighten slightly on his arm. "At least, I believe I am."

"Who is following you?" Lilina asked. Her doll-like features creased in concern.

"I don't really know," the woman replied. "My car broke down and my companion said that it would take a while so I told him that I would walk back. And then, the sound came. I cannot see the person, but I heard his footsteps. But I think that maybe I'm just tired and I'm letting the night play tricks on me." The vampire noble seemed less than convinced with her own rationale.

Heck, even Yagari was. The woman was a noble vampire and her eyesight should be able to pinpoint who or what was following her. Vampires did have more advanced senses than humans. The older hunter thought that maybe they were dealing with a whole different kind of enemy this time. He noticed that the woman in front of him was feeling a bit of unease and he couldn't blame her. She was being stalked after all by some person or creature she didn't even know.

"We could walk with you to your destination," Yagari offered.

"Oh, I couldn't, you see…" she trailed off, quickly averting her eyes. It was pretty obvious that her journey was intended to be a secret. Certainly, it was difficult to imagine why a lady would risk being out alone at this hour, especially a member of the vampire council. It was already well-known in their world that a murderer was on the loose.

After a moment, she came to a decision and spoke. "Could you wait here for a few minutes?" she asked. "If someone is following me, they will pass by here and… sir? Are you all right?"

Yagari wore an expression of pain on his face, his head inclined as if facing a stiff wind. His hunter senses had suddenly blossomed with a painful intensity, a pressure inside his skull such as he had never felt before. He didn't know what was wrong but there was definitely something amiss in this place.

"Yagari?" Lilina queried, seeing him cringe all of a sudden.

"Perhaps I should… well, thank you for your time," said the lady, eyeing Yagari nervously. Her frayed nerves were evidently not up to any more strangeness. "I shall be going."

"No, wait a moment," Lilina said, trying to prevent her from leaving while simultaneously attending to Yagari, who was scrambling inside his coat for something. The lady was having none of that, however; she saw only a hunter reaching for a knife or a gun, and was retreating as fast as she could without running. The two realized that Yagari's aura must have slipped a little and the woman had figured out that he was a hunter. The woman must have believed in the rumors that hunters were involved with the murders. Lilina seemed about to follow, to keep her from slipping away, but Yagari gripped her arm. From his pocket, he withdrew a phial of pre-prepared sulfur, glowing faintly from the charm; he had cast upon it, and tipped it on the ground.

The lady had already made a good distance away from them, and had turned a corner into a side street by the time the liquid splashed on the cobblestones. Yagari straightened, having managed to get over the initial shock of the sensation on his head, but Lilina's eyes were on the sulfur compound that was spreading through the gullies and valleys between the cobblestones, creeping away from them with a life of its own, branching and dividing slowly to follow several paths. And as she watched with increasing horror, the sulphur began to form a shape in the road, a vague yet unmistakable outline of a footprint. It looked like from some sort of creature she had read somewhere.

"Oh," she said.

Yagari broke into a run, his hat toppling from his head and flying free as he sprinted after the woman. It was impossible, it just _couldn't_ be…

_Don't look behind!_

Yagari projected the thought at the lady as he turned into the street where she had gone, still not quite believing what he was allowing himself to think, what the thing they were facing would be. But he already knew nothing could stop it now. He saw her, hurrying away from him, alarmed by his pursuit and thinking that _he_ was the one she had to fear. She cast a terrified glance over her shoulder.

It was her third backward look since she had started to notice the extra footstep in her walk, and that was all it took to make visible the thing that trod behind her.

There was no shimmering as the creature revealed itself to the eyes of its victim, no gradual unveiling of the moon from behind a cloud. It was simply _there_; one moment not, the next it was lunging at her, a huge and terrifying bulk of claws and metal teeth that dwarfed her as it reached to open her up.

The roar of Yagari's gun sounded like a cannon on the still of the night, blasting the creature aside at the same moment as its claws made contact with their target. There was a scream as the lady was pitched bodily across the street; she slammed across the cobbles and rolled to a stop in a storm gutter, dark blooms of blood moistening her black dress and seeping from her hairline to inch down her face.

The creature staggered, turned a baleful gaze at the older hunter, and he felt his heart shudder under its glare. What he was seeing was inconceivable.

_A familiar. Not just any familiar. A hell hound._

When he was a child he had stared for hours in horrified fascination at the drawings in a hunter book. There were several illustrations of familiars there and most of them were used to frighten young hunters, like the things that lived in cupboards and hid in the dark beneath the bed. Now he stood facing the creature that had haunted his childhood nights, when he had lain awake in terror at the thought of what might reach up and eat him. No myth anymore, but real, as if the drawing that had scared him all those years ago had come to life.

The hell hound was huge, grotesquely muscled and hunched, a heavy brow shadowing small, glaring eyes that sat above a wide mouth in which small, pointed teeth of brass gleamed faintly in the light of the gas lamps. He was an exaggerated mockery of a dog, terrible and fearful, and Yagari felt himself suddenly wishing that he was not alone, that the others who must have heard the gunshot would arrive soon. It was just like the dogs he had faced before when they rescued Zero but this one was fiercer and scarier. For one thing, it could stand on two legs, just like a werewolf from those stupid myths.

A slow snarl came from the throat of the thing as it took its stance to deal with the newcomer. Yagari's anti-vampire weapon had done no discernible damage, even though he was quite certain he had struck the creature in the side of the neck.

The hell hound came at him like a bull, roaring as it charged; the older hunter leveled his pistol and shot it square in the face. The creature's forward momentum was checked violently, as if by a hammer blow, and it was lifted off its feet to collapse heavily to the cold stone of the road. Yagari was already holstering his gun, tugging free from his belt a long string of charms, an array of warded artifacts linked by wire. Cured snakeskin wrapped in hay; vulture feathers; a depiction of the evil eye carved in a coin-sized piece of wood – there were perhaps twenty in all. It was the vampire hunter's first line of defense against an unknown familiar: a broad spectrum of wards and charms that had proven effective in the past against other forms of those summoned beings. The theory was that at least a fraction of the arsenal would work against the enemy.

The hell hound had already regained its feet by the time Yagari had the charm-string ready, his heart trip-hammering against his ribs and cold sweat slicking his hands. He focused himself to start activating the power of the charms. No mark showed on the creature's face from the bullet, but it was certainly enraged. The creature lunged again, bellowing mindlessly, and Yagari threw himself aside as the enemy thundered towards him. But the hell hound had moved faster than the older hunter had credited, and his dodge was clumsy this time. One foot snagged the other, and he felt himself trip. He lashed out with the charm-string as he fell, praying that fortune was with him.

This time, it was.

He crashed to the ground, the familiar missing him by centimeters, and the charm-string snagged on the creature as he passed. It tore free from Yagari's hand, wrapping itself loosely around the body of his enemy, and as he rolled he felt the wave of force wash over him that was the wards flaring into life. There was an animalistic howl of fury and pain, and then Yagari was up and ready once more.

In the steely moonlight between the gaslights, the charm-string lay on the floor, blackened and smoking faintly. Of the hell hound, there was no sign.

"Yagari!" came the cry, and there was Kaito, appearing from the side street with Shielle, attracted by the sound of gunfire. Two others, the hunter who were stationed nearby, were with them. From the opposite street, Lilina was running hurriedly towards him.

The older hunter blinked, realizing by the fading intensity of his hunter senses that the hell hound really was gone. A moment later, he was rushing to the lady, whom he had all but forgotten. The others reached him as he crouched by her bloodied form to check her pulse.

"Are you all right?" Kaito panted. "What was that you – "

"Never mind me," Yagari said sharply. "She is still alive. There is hope yet. She can still be saved."

"Get her help!" Lilina barked at the other hunters. The pair of them ran to comply.

Yagari was beginning to feel tired now, the adrenalin leaving his body and making him a bit weakened. After all, he did cast some powerful charms to stop the familiar. Kaito crouched next to him and put an arm around him.

"It was a hell hound. A damned hell hound," he said quietly.

"A hell hound?" Kaito asked with surprise evident on the tone of his voice.

Yagari laid his hand over his face as his head ache returned with full force. "How could it be here, Kaito? It was supposed to be hard to summon and no ordinary vampire could do it. Even Kuran admitted that it was difficult."

"It only means that a very powerful enemy is present and I'm guessing that Rido was involved. He used a different kind of familiar that time according to your reports but there is no denying the fact that he summoned those things," Lilina said seriously as the two hunters turned their gazes towards her. "Looks like we're in deep trouble this time," she added grimly.

"We'll have our hands full trying to prevent whatever is going to happen soon," Kaito added as an afterthought.

"≈≈ΩΩ~Ж~ΩΩ≈≈"

Kaname Kuran heard a fabric shuffle. His eyes didn't open as his mind struggled through a haze of sleep to comprehend what he heard. There was also a weird scratching noise but he refused to get up whatsoever. If he ignored it for just another second it would probably stop. He thought about how this drafty building was always making unidentifiable noises. The shuffling of fabric and scratching assaulted his ears again but it felt too good to hold his eyes down.

The scratching of pen… against paper?

The pureblood's eyes shot open, but they were straining against the light coming from the hallway. He pushed himself onto his elbows and peeked through drowsy eyes. He saw Zero Kiryuu propped on a sitting position on the bed with a folder and pen in his hands.

"Zero?" Kaname called groggily as he straightened from the spare bed on the room and noticed that the hunter was now looking at him.

_Sorry, did I wake you? _ The familiar voice brushed in Kaname's mind again and having this kind of conversation for days had gotten the pureblood quite used to it. Though Zero could talk normally, Kaname didn't want the hunter to strain himself more since he wasn't healed yet and the pureblood was quite alright with telepathic messages.

"Shouldn't you be resting, Zero? You shouldn't _over exert_ yourself again," Kaname reminded the hunter who only offered him a small smile in return.

_I know, _Zero's voice told him softly.

"I'm under the impression that you don't," Kaname answered back as he heard the hunter sigh before placing the folder on the bedside table next to the flowers that Takuma had brought a few days ago when he visited.

The pureblood assessed the hunter's condition. Zero was well enough that he no longer needed to be hooked up to machines, but not well enough to leave the hospital. He was still dealing with some of the after-effects of the poisons that once ran through his system; fevers, fatigue, chills, nausea, and a significant impact on his immune system. The doctor wanted to keep an eye on Zero's condition a bit more before he could be released.

_The files stated that everyone at the association was going to conduct a mission this time to stop a murder from happening again._

Kaname heard the voice in his mind and caught the worry and frustration in them. He knew that the hunter wanted to help but given his condition, it would be impossible. Still, it wasn't as if Zero wasn't doing his fair share of work. Whenever the hunter was having a _better_ day, Zero would be seen checking the paper works or reports sent by Yagari and offered some suggestions afterwards.

"It still didn't mean that you should wear yourself out by worrying about it," Kaname responded gently. "Besides, they can handle something like that," the pureblood added with a smile.

_I can't help it, Kaname. Things are confusing and dangerous enough as it is, _Zero's voice echoed sadly in the pureblood's mind.

"So you're going to be stubborn and impossible?"_"_

_Maybe,_ Zero answered cryptically and the pureblood sighed in defeat.

Kaname walked up to the foot of the bed and leaned over the footboard steadily watching the hunter with his garnet eyes. Zero was busy straightening out the blankets.

"The whole reason I sleep in here is so I can help you," Kaname said softly.

_Is that the only reason?_

A laugh escaped from Kaname's throat. The past few days had been quite fun in the pureblood's opinion especially when he always gave soft declarations of affection. The hunter never told him outright his feelings but Kaname felt that Zero also felt the same way. That kiss was proof enough as it is. Aside from that, he was serious in telling the hunter that he was prepared to wait. "Yes, of course, who wouldn't want to sleep right next to you?" Kaname walked away and headed back to the spare bed. He pulled the covers over his torso and closed his heavy eyes. He didn't get enough rest last time so he was trying to make more of this free day.

The room wasn't exactly quiet to begin with. The pureblood could hear the machines beeping down the hall, the buzzing of fluorescent lighting, and the clangs and whirls of the struggling heating system. He could also hear Zero's shallow breathing. He noticed that the hunter usually gets winded so easily. Well, it was the hunter's fault. Kaname wondered how long Zero was up checking those reports instead of getting some more rest. _He's going to be so tired in the morning,_ he thought afterwards. _Which means he'll be irritable for a while._ The pureblood sighed. He hoped that Zero was asleep now and getting his needed rest.

_Kaname?_ Zero asked suddenly, breaking the non-silence.

"What?" Kaname replied, making sure to let the hunter know how annoyed he was in that single syllable. He had already told Zero to rest a couple of times. Sometimes, Zero was just too _stubborn._

_I'm sorry. Would you come here please?_ The hunter asked softly.

Kaname sighed for the second time and reminded himself of what he just said to the hunter. He was here to take care of Zero, whether the hunter liked it or not. The pureblood threw the covers aside and stood up again. "Is there anything wrong, Zero?"

His eyes are soft and vulnerable; all traces of the steadfast hunter weren't there at the moment. Zero reached out for the pureblood's hand and Kaname let the hunter link their hands together._ I can't seem to push those worries away no matter how much I wanted to believe that everything would be okay._

Kaname leaned forward and rested his elbows on the mattress. He gave Zero's hand a gentle squeeze. "Well, you're _always_ like that, a complete worrywart, so I might not be able to convince you entirely. But right now, all you should focus on is getting better," he reminded the hunter with a smile on his face.

_I hate this, _Zero told him after a while._ I hate not being able to help or do anything. It… it makes me remember some painful things that happened years ago._

"It's only been a week since you've regained consciousness. You're getting stronger everyday so it's only a matter of time. I wish I could help you forget those memories, to lessen the pain you felt," Kaname said gently and earnestly as he noticed the look in Zero's face, like the hunter had failed something. The pureblood was aware that Zero's recovery would be going much faster if the hunter didn't also have to deal with the repercussions of being injected with a powerful toxin. There were some days he wasn't able to do his therapy, which significantly slowed down his progress. Even now, as Kaname held the hunter's hand he noticed that Zero's temperature had spiked again. "You're warm again," he added, pulling the hunter's hand to his face so the backs of Zero's fingers touched his cheek.

_Ignore it._

"I can't simply ignore it, Zero."

_We both know that the medicine can't do much. No need to waste them on me._

"Don't be stupid," Kaname said with a forced smile. He partially meant it as a joke. How many times had they done some stupid things in their life? Maybe too many to count.

_I'm serious. I get the fevers all the time. There's not much I can do about them other than to wait them out. Don't get the nurse or the doctor involved again, Kaname, _Zero said gently.

The pureblood didn't want to agree, but the hunter presented a fair argument. He also knew that Zero was just exhausted and weary of being sick. He could sympathize since he would also feel the same if he were in the hunter's place.

"Very well if you insist," he conceded, choosing not to argue with Zero this time. The hunter pulled the pureblood's hand into his lap and Kaname was forced to life his elbows from the mattress. He tugged on Kaname's arms and gave him a small smile that the pureblood begrudgingly smirked at.

Kaname noticed since long ago that whenever the hunter was remembering painful memories, he always needed someone to hold him. To keep him together while the pain was still there in his heart. It had been unusual for Kaname since the hunter was usually the one who shied away from contact. With a smile of his own, Kaname lifted himself onto the bed. The hunter pulled him close against his chest and the pureblood complied; Kaname's head rested on Zero's shoulder and the hunter's arms wrapped around his torso while their hands were linked together as usual. Wrapped up like this with the hunter, Kaname became even more aware of how warm Zero's body is and he wished that he hadn't let the hunter persuade him not to find some medicine for the fever. The pureblood was too distracted to even relax in the bed, like he normally would during these small moments of privacy.

His head kept replaying what happened the last time Zero had a bad fever. It was awful. The hunter tossed and turned in the bed all night, sweating through the sheets and moaning incessantly. The fever was giving the hunter nightmares and what Kaname wouldn't give to be able to reach in and pull out every bad thought, every bad dream. This time wasn't remotely like that bad fever; now it is only slight and is probably making him more uncomfortable than it is to Zero. He couldn't help the anxiousness that he felt for the hunter.

_I don't like this,_ Zero said after a while. Kaname looked up at him, confused. Catching up the pureblood's confusion, he looked down at him meaningfully, and continued, _I mean, I don't like being so unhealthy. I can't protect anyone even you._

"Protect me from what?" Kaname inquired.

_From anything. From everything,_ Zero answered vaguely.

"You can't protect me from everything even if I admit that you're a very strong and capable person."

_At least I'd have a fighting chance,_ Zero replied.

Things started to piece together for Kaname then. He wanted to smack himself for not realizing it earlier. Zero's frustration and unease came from a different place than he had expected. The hunter wasn't the least bit worried about himself but he was worried about how vulnerable the pureblood was. Zero had always known about the increasing amount of people ready and willing to take Kaname's life and somehow, the hunter noticed how the recent events had affected the pureblood. Throughout these past months Kaname did his best not to think about those things, because it was really too overwhelming to comprehend. If he lied in bed counting the number of people who wanted to kill him, he'd never sleep again. That was why he chose not to dwell on those things and focused on helping Zero. However, throughout all those times, Zero hadn't been focusing on his own needs, he had always thought about Kaname's. And somehow, Kaname felt something warm in his heart at that discovery.

Kaname twisted his body around so that he was on his side and he could see Zero's face. The hunter looked exhausted. The pureblood could see it in all of his features. He could also see the fear – fear that some of his nightmares would come true. Kaname wanted to reassure Zero that he would be safe, that he would always be with him. Yet he couldn't make that promise. Especially now that things had gotten too complicated. He couldn't even make that to himself. The future was too unclear and the idea of living another day is too indefinite, perhaps even unlikely.

"Zero, I'm here. I'll always be here for you," he promised. Zero closed his eyes for a while and Kaname pushed himself up onto his elbow and brushed his lips softly against the hunter's. This would be another memory, another feeling both of them would never forget. His lips fall onto Zero's again and his body rested against the hunter. Zero's arms came around him, enveloping him in that uncomfortable warmth. A sweat broke out easily on the hunter's forehead and neck and Kaname thought about how winded the hunter would be when they came up for air. As if Zero knew what he had been thinking about, he held the pureblood even tighter and a shaky moan vibrated in his chest. His kisses are soft and Kaname would do anything to be able to be with Zero without this fear hanging over them. He would give anything for some certainty.

One of Zero's hands pushed against Kaname's back; the other gently pushed against the spot below the back of the pureblood's neck. Kaname pressed his mouth harder against Zero as he tried to make the hunter forget about the circumstances and troubles they would face. His tongue was quick and eager and he felt as if his entire body would collapse into Zero. Seconds pass, maybe minutes. The pureblood lost track of it. All he could concentrate on was the electric current running through his body and how it intensified with each small progression of their movements. The hunter's hands moved from his lower back and danced around his side, pausing at the pureblood's thigh. Kaname noted that Zero's feather light touches tickled him a bit, while the unhealthy heat practically felt like it would burn through his flesh. A few moments later, he noticed how hard Zero's chest was working to keep up with their efforts. Kaname snapped back into reality and abruptly pulled away. Zero didn't release his hold, but Kaname knew that he was grateful for the break. The pureblood leaned away from the hunter as much as he would allow giving him room to breathe. Zero closed his eyes again as his breathing slowly returned to normal.

_Will you stay here?_ Zero asked and Kaname noticed that he was panting a bit. The pureblood knew that when Zero mentioned 'here,' he didn't mean the room, because he had stayed with hunter every night. He meant 'here,' as in, his own bed. They've shared a bed numerous times especially during missions out of the city; however, they always had a bit more privacy in the past. Zero was a primary concern of the doctors here in the association hospital, which was why people come and go on a regular basis. That was the reason he slept on the spare bed. He tried to keep his closeness to a minimum since he didn't want anyone to walk in on anything; that includes Takuma, and god-forbid, Yagari, who would try to castrate him alive for being to intimate with Zero. That man was Zero's guardian so it was understandable.

"That depends, will you sleep this time?" Kaname asked as he wiped a sweat off Zero's forehead with his sleeve. He would have gotten the hunter a cold compress, but he doubted Zero's willingness to let him go now.

_Sleeping had become my least favorite thing lately,_ Zero muttered. The pureblood still appreciated sleep, as fleeting as it may have been. Those hours of unconsciousness are such an underrated blessing. Then again, when your hours of unconsciousness overshadow your hours of consciousness, as was Zero's case, you rapidly learn to appreciate the blessing of being awake.

"I'm going to be here when you wake up," Kaname promised again as he nuzzled his face into Zero's neck, allowing the hunter to him however he wanted to. He wanted Zero to feel his breath, to feel his heart beating, to feel how real and alive he was when he was with the hunter.

Zero's breathing was slow and shallow again but his body temperature had moved up a degree or two – most likely because of their recent actions. Kaname knew that the nurse would scold him if she ever knew what they were doing. She didn't like it much that he was staying here in general, but she doesn't have much say in the matter. Right now, he knew that Zero needed him. He also knew that the hunter needed to rest now, but he was aware that maybe Zero was too wired to fall asleep. This was what usually happened when he slept in the hunter's bed. Zero got too anxious and worried and can't relax enough to let himself sleep.

Kaname placed a kiss on Zero's neck and another along his jaw. Zero sighed and his hold lessens slightly on Kaname. It was a good sign since it meant that he was relaxing. "Let's spend some time together when you are released. Just us. No one else."

_Are you asking me on a date, Kaname?_ Zero asked with a bit of embarrassment.

"I guess. Wouldn't it be nice to do something together for once? Something that doesn't involve going on life and death missions," Kaname told him as he smiled against the hunter's skin. Praying that Zero would say yes.

Zero leaned back so he could see Kaname's face and the pureblood could see his. _Sure Kaname, I'd like to do that some time, _he answered after a while. Kaname's face lights up in happiness and he kissed the hunter on the nose, and lingered for a few seconds on his lips. The pureblood was right about Zero being exhausted, because even amongst the nearby beeping machinery, the noise of the building, and his presence on the bed, Zero fell asleep within minutes.

Unfortunately, it all had the opposite effect on Kaname. It was nearly dawn now, and while Zero was asleep, his mind was still buzzing with their discussion earlier. At this point, by the time he fell asleep someone would be knocking on the door to wake Zero up and take him to some check up.

He let a few more moments pass, completely assuring himself that Zero was entirely asleep before he disentangled himself from the hunter's arms. It wasn't something he usually did and he was well aware that he was breaking a promise to stay with him. Normally, he was the most desperate for these small moments of togetherness with Zero, but he figured that a few moments to get his thoughts in order may be for the best interest.

He left the room and headed towards the dining hall hoping to find some coffee for himself and for Zero. Everyone was still asleep and all he could hear was the obnoxious whirring of the ventilation system. He passed a few miscellaneous rooms which were empty. He entered the hall and was surprised to see Takuma who seemed to be thinking about something. The room was dimly lit and he wondered what his friend was doing here of all places.

A lot goes through you when you're staring someone down without a weapon. Initially, you feel surprise at what you have discovered and at being discovered. Next, there is fear because you have nothing with which to defend yourself. There is always the underlying tension caused by the inevitable adrenaline that pumps through you. While at the same time, your mind hurdles through every survival technique buried in the arsenal of your brain. Ironically, as all this is happening, you often find yourself paralyzed, as Kaname did at this very moment.

Takuma wasn't someone he should be afraid of nor should he find himself in need of a weapon when he faced him. And truly, these feelings aren't a result of fearing for his life. The panic that left him frozen on the spot was an all too common reaction that a person had when he is caught in a situation he didn't know how to handle. That was why he was stuck standing there and he had no idea what to do or say.

The last time they met was almost a week ago and it didn't go out very well in Kaname's opinion. They had a bit of an argument and it seemed that it hadn't been resolved very well.

"Did you need something?" Takuma called out softly.

Kaname gave a sigh and composed himself, "I was just going for some coffee or tea," he answered. It seemed these were the first words they've spoken since Zero regained consciousness. They've passed the hallways, shared occasional eye contact in some meetings, but private conversations were all but missing between them.

"I have some here, if you'd like it." Takuma gestured to a tarnished metal pot sitting amongst a scattering of papers and notes.

"I'll gladly have some," Kaname answered formally as he headed towards Takuma. He poured coffee to his cup while he felt Takuma staring at him all the way. He attempted to ignore the heavy atmosphere and pressed the mug to his lips and took an audible sip. The bitter liquid helped him focus a bit and he knew that he had to resolve things with Takuma. "I prefer tea better," he muttered.

"I agree with you," Takuma replied as he dropped his eyes back to the numerous papers strewn about the table. It was a line after line of solid black text on white backgrounds that seemed to be from the council and a few from the association.

"What are you doing here?" Kaname asked in an attempt to maintain conversation.

"Reading correspondences from some members of both council and association. These are just some of the reports about the level ends hunter this week."

He could only offer a nod as his only response. Something must be wrong with his head at this point. Because for the past few weeks, he had done his best to forget how close they have all been to death, how close they remain. His stomach lurched at how horribly he had been honoring the deaths of those who have sacrificed themselves for the peace. Zero seemed to think about it constantly. Every smile the hunter had was accompanied by a strain of fear in his eyes.

"Where's Yagari? Usually he's here to drop Zero a visit or something," Kaname asked casually, trying to keep his mind away about those things.

"He hasn't slept in three days and the mission didn't go well as they had hoped and he finally crashed."

"Sounds like something he'd do," Kaname mentioned after a while.

"Maybe he'll turn up for a visit in another twenty-four hours."

It wasn't until now, when Takuma's eyes are off of him, that Kaname could absorb his friend's current state. There was a dark shadow under both of his eyes. He's tired, like the rest of them. he didn't appear to have lost or gained any weight, which was interesting because half of the people who had jobs like theirs have been accustomed to skipping meals often. Aside from the small changes, there was something about Takuma that he couldn't quite discern. He'd always been able to read him so well. When did he lose that ability?

"How was Kiryuu-kun?" Takuma asked.

"He's fine but he needs to stay here for a while," Kaname replied.

"I see."

Kaname sipped from his drink again. It was finally at a moderate temperature and easy to drink. He noticed the sounds of the building again. The complicated ventilation system creaks. The lighting above them buzzed and the papers on the table make sharp shuffling sounds as Takuma adjusted the piles. Then there is the silence. The audible, crackling silence that hovers around the two of them like a heavy fog. It felt like they were in the woods on a muggy morning; attempting to track their prey but knowing how impossible it would be when they cannot see more than a foot in front of them. As he stood in this tiny room with gray walls and cold floors, his vision couldn't be clearer, yet he never felt so lost.

Takuma set the notes down and pressed his palms over his eyes. On top of the fatigue Kaname noticed initially, he saw how his friend's shoulders drooped, and it wasn't the result of being tired. He is beaten down and wounded – as if he's given up. This isn't Takuma, not the Takuma I knew. Takuma Ichijou wass supposed to be cheerful and his spirit unwavering. But now, he appears so broken, and Kaname left to consider the reason why. A heavy, intangible weight hits the pureblood's chest. He couldn't even help his friends just like he couldn't to Zero.

"Do we really have nothing else to say to each other?" Takuma said from behind his hands.

"I don't know what to say at the moment," Kaname answered honestly. He suddenly felt like a coward, a failure, and a horrible friend. How could he even begin to apologize to him, and yet, is there anything to apologize for? Of course there was, but he had no way of putting that into words. This situation had always been complex. And even now that he'd found a scrap of undeserved happiness from Zero, he couldn't even enjoy it because pain was still permeating it from all sides.

"Well if there is nothing else. I'm a bit tired so I'm going to lie down," Takuma said as he stood up and began gathering the papers into the file folder.

Kaname sighed deeply. "Wait, Takuma. Let's talk for a while."

"You know, Kaname. I wasn't really mad at you. You don't need to do this if you don't want to," Takuma muttered as he sat down.

"I wanted to get this out of my chest and I think that you deserve to know the truth," Kaname replied.

"Well, I guess I should do the same. You know that the council is having problems right now and honestly, it tires me too much," Takuma began to say. "It doesn't make it any easier that Shiki is related to Rido Kuran as well and I hate how other vampires judge him because of that. I can't even _do _anything because I know that it would only make things worse. I always had to stand on the side and watch as the person I care about suffer," he continued bitterly.

"I believe that I've told you before that you are a strong person Takuma," Kaname said gently. "I know for certain that Shiki could go through those insults simply because you would always be there for him."

"Thank you," Takuma said gratefully. "It's really gets things of my chest to hear others say it," he added sincerely.

Kaname sat down next to his friend as he thought about the words to convey what his friend should know about him and Zero. He continued to sit and think and imagine. And then he noticed his fingers running absentmindedly over his collar bone. He remembered the night when Zero placed a kiss there, how it made him grin, how relaxed it made him feel, how he wished for more.

"Do you love him?" Takuma questioned after a prolonged silence.

Kaname knew that the answer to the question was yes. Zero was not a part of the world he had with Takuma and his friends in the council or the vampire world. He knew that the Kaname then wouldn't have even considered being with a hunter. But the person he was now not only wanted Zero, he needed him. His heart needed Zero.

"Takuma, I love him," Kaname whispered. Had he ever said it out loud to his friend? Offering loved was such an abstract and vulnerable act of charity. He always felt that actions speak much louder then words, but these words felt astoundingly massive.

"Are you going to tell me that it was all destiny?" Takuma told him softly, bringing up the star-crossed lovers routine.

"No," Kaname replied immediately. He didn't like the idea of his and Zero's relationship being reduced to something so out of their control. "You know that I want to control my life. The same way that I know Zero wanted his. I feel that both of us including you as well had our choices taken away from us our whole lives. That's why I refused to be manipulated anymore."

The blond noble pushed his fallen hair out of his face and sighed heavily. "I apologize for that," he whispered sincerely.

"Don't apologize. There's practically nothing to be sorry for," Kaname told him because he didn't need Takuma to do any apologizing. He only needed for his friend to understand that his feelings were his own. He also needed to know how much he wanted to apologize for acting like a complete jerk last time. "If anyone should apologize it should be me."

"I said some pretty harsh things last time, Kaname," Takuma said sincerely. "That was why I want to apologize. I didn't mean to say those things to you," he added.

Kaname nodded and Takuma smiled before their conversation had lapsed into silence.

"Do you know when I chose him? Not why, but when?" Kaname inquired.

A nervous laugh escaped from Takuma. He shared a smirk with the blond noble, understanding the ridiculousness of his question. "Probably not, but go ahead," he answered.

"After Zero was captured I wasn't the same person. You know this; you saw me that time after all. I thought it was because of the guilt. I wanted so much to make sure that he was protected. I felt like a complete failure when I couldn't save him."

"To be fair, it wasn't your fault. Things like that are out of our hands."

"I realized at the time when I thought that I almost lost Zero that I loved him since long ago, maybe even then when we began going to missions together. There was something in him that made me feel so happy and complete. He treated me the same as everyone else yet that was what endears me to him. I thought that what I felt for those three years were only friendship and gratitude. I never realized that I would be in love with him."

"Would you still feel the same if you knew who Kiryuu-kun really is?" Takuma asked as he locked eyes with Kaname.

The pureblood understood what his friend was trying to say. Frankly, he knew little about the hunter even after the three years they had been partners. It was only recently he found out that Zero was a vampire and who knew what secrets he would uncover in time. The fact remained that Zero was a complete enigma. He could only count the number of things he knew about the hunter. He had no knowledge about what Zero had done before they worked together and the only time he met Zero was in passing during their days at the academy. Yet he promised to himself some time ago that he would be prepared to accept whatever truth he would find and he vowed to himself that his feelings would never change.

"I was prepared long ago to take that risk and I told myself so many times that I would be prepared to accept all of him," Kaname answered determinedly.

"You know that I'll always respect your decision," Takuma said gently. "I don't know if I should say this because it concerns Kiryuu-kun. I don't know the exact details but I think that you should deserve to know."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Zero Kiryuu knew your uncle and had apparently known each other a long time ago. The council had been talking about it recently," Takuma replied seriously. "I heard that Kiryuu-kun tried to kill your uncle in the past but the council managed to stop that from happening since there was no proof of your uncle's misconduct. In the end, Kiryuu-kun had no choice but to stand down no matter how much he hated it."

"What reason would Zero have to go after my damned uncle?" Kaname asked as he pondered about that new information. Was that the reason why his uncle went after Zero?

"Your uncle killed someone important to Kiryuu-kun. That was all I knew," Takuma answered in the same tone.

"I see that my uncle seemed to have a knack for ruining other people's lives," Kaname said in distaste. _Rido must be the reason why Zero always felt the need to distance himself to everyone else. _He wondered who was the person that his uncle murdered and why did he choose Zero out of all people? It didn't seem to add up in his opinion. There were still pieces missing from the puzzle.

"I know and sometimes I wonder how Shiki was related to that man," Takuma added.

"No wonder my cousin pretended not to know my uncle."

Takuma smiled and laughed good naturedly. It seemed that the distance between them had disappeared to who knows where. He knew now that his friend said those things out of worry for him. It seemed that he was just too stressed out to see through those words and let it get the better of him.

"So, why aren't you with Kiryuu-kun right now?" Takuma asked in a good-mannered tone as he gazed at Kaname with his emerald green eyes.

"I wanted a drink. And I needed to sort some things out."

"What kind of things?"

"You don't want to hear this," Kaname assured his friend.

"Just say it, Kaname. I'm tired of not talking to you," Takuma answered back. "Besides that, I've gotten quite curious about it," he added cheerfully.

Kaname found it difficult to fathom their conversation. A few moments ago, there was this awkwardness and barrier between them. And now it felt like normal between them, but in a much better way. It seemed as if that conversation from some time ago never happened and they were back to being good friends. Nonetheless, it was a bit awkward to talk about his love life even if the person he was talking to was a childhood friend.

"Zero has a lot of anxieties about the future," Kaname told Takuma vaguely.

"We all do, Kaname."

"He's been down lately and I know that the real issue was he felt that he couldn't protect me or anyone else. He's also afraid that I'm going to disappear one day. What makes it worse is that I can't tell him he's wrong," Kaname said as the words spilled out before he could stop them. He glanced over at Takuma, expecting the latter to look uncomfortable. Instead, it looked as though his friend was thinking of something.

"I can't really blame, Kiryuu-kun. You tend to disappear sometimes."

The pureblood's shoulders slumped. For all of the noble's thinking, his words aren't certainly helpful in the least. "It's different now though. I'm in control and I am trying to be. I'm not going to let anyone use me especially the council, and more importantly, I am not going to leave Zero without telling him."

Takuma smiled at him, and pushed a stray lock of his hair behind his ear. "Then he definitely needs to hear you say that."

Kaname gave him a small smile. "Thank you for listening. You've always been helpful in things like this." The pureblood knew that words can't encompass everything he was thankful for. He could only hope that over time he could show his friend. Takuma had always been there whenever he needed someone to talk to or share his problems with.

"There's something I've wanted to ask you," Takuma began with a slight shift of his body. "How did you take it when Akatsuki told you?"

"When Akatsuki told me what?" When Takuma didn't answer right away, he looked up at him. The blond noble angled his head in a gesture of encouragement. Kaname was still at a loss as to what his friend was talking about.

"You do know that Akatsuki and Ruka had started going out together, right?"

"I didn't hear anything about that," Kaname immediately responded. "That was surprising news," he added with a smile.

"I suppose you could say that. They didn't seem to get along that well back in school and I thought Ruka was still in love with you," Takuma said gently.

"That was all in the past, Takuma," Kaname answered. "Besides, I'm glad that she found someone who would love her and that she could finally let go of her feelings for me. Before I forget, how did you know this?"

"Shiki told me about it and I asked Akatsuki afterwards," Takuma replied with a mischievous glint. Kaname could only wonder how his friend managed to make Akatsuki admit that.

"You and Shiki are still doing well, I presume?"

"Of course, though we haven't seen each other for a while because of work," Takuma said with his overall cheery smile. "Well, we'd better get going."

Abruptly, Takuma gave him a light friendly hug that he returned. The hug felt comfortable and safe. Kaname heard a sigh over his shoulder and he hoped it was a sign that everything was now okay between them. They parted after a few minutes.

The two then heard some shuffling down the hallway. People were waking up to start cooking and cleaning and doing all the everyday things that make this place run. Kaname helped his friend up and encouraged him to go to bed. He wished him a sweet dream as Takuma walked out the door, and even though he wasn't planning on going back to bed, his friend wished him the same.

Before he left the room he filled another cup of coffee for Zero. When he got back to the hunter's room, Zero was still asleep and there wasn't any way for him to be able to snuggle back into the hunter's arms without waking him up. It was too important that Zero got his rest. Kaname grabbed his blanket from his own bed and swung it around his shoulders. He sat at the foot of the bed, crossed his legs, and sipped the coffee until Zero began to stir. Zero lifted up his head when he realized that Kaname was not lying next to him. He was half-relieved, half-irritated, when he saw the pureblood.

_Kaname, what are you doing over there?_ Zero asked groggily as his voice invaded Kaname's senses lightly.

"I got up early to get us something to drink," Kaname answered automatically and he knew that it wasn't the complete truth but it was good enough for the moment. He stepped off the bed to pick up his cup from the side table. It wasn't steaming any longer, but at least it meant that he would be able to drink it immediately. Zero pushed himself to a sitting position as Kaname handed him his cup. The pureblood climbed up onto the bed again only this time he sat next to the hunter so their shoulders were touching. Somehow, they looked so innocent together. There was really nothing to be embarrassed about if anyone should walk in.

_How did you sleep?_ Zero asked after some time.

"Fine," Kaname said over the rim of his cup. He noticed that he was a terrible liar in front of Zero, and he knew that the hunter could pick up on it better than anyone else he knew. So, in those instances where he found it better to lie, he tried to keep the sentences as short as possible since it would have a much better chance of being successful. Besides, he had been sleeping well prior to their late night conversation.

_Good. I'm really sorry for waking you up last night and especially how I've been lately._

The hunter's apology caught Kaname off guard. After everything he just went through earlier, waking him up or even his moody behavior seemed like a silly thing to apologize for. "You don't have to apologize. You'll get better soon." Zero didn't smile. He just stared into his cup. It startled Kaname a bit. "Is there something wrong?"

_I know that it's going to happen one of these days._

"What's going to happen?"

_One day I'm going to wake up and you're going to be gone, _Zero replied sadly and his voice carried the pain that Kaname had sensed a long time ago when they first got to know each other. Despite how Zero had pretended when they worked, there was always a shadow of something lingering behind those amethyst eyes.

"Zero, you know that I won't do such a thing," Kaname told the hunter honestly.

_We can't be sure of anything, Kaname. I have lost far too much all my life and I felt my heart shatter so many times. I'm afraid to feel those kind of emotions again, _the hunter continued as he remembered the people he had protected and lost throughout his lifetime. His parents, a few of his friends, especially Yuuki. And now that he admitted to himself that he did love the pureblood as well. He was _afraid._

Afraid to lose that special someone once again. Because he knew that this time, he would die if that happened.

Kaname took Zero's cup as well as his and set them both on the side table. Keep his blanket on his shoulders; he gently climbed over Zero, straddling his hips. He pinned himself as closely as he could to the hunter. He had embraced Zero a couple of times. He also held Zero while he slept and sometimes the hunter does the same to him. But this was new. Other than last night, they've never been together like this. It made the air feel electric and alive. Maybe because he knew that he was going to regret this if someone interrupted the moment, but for now, he didn't care. He loved the closeness. He loved the feel of Zero's body close to his. He ran his hands over the hunter's cheeks, through his hair, and down his neck. Zero was surprised at first but later on, his hands automatically moved to rest on the pureblood's waist.

"I can't even offer any argument with what you said to me," Kaname whispered softly. "There are too many unknown factors and there might be something that would pull me away – something that could guarantee a safe life for us – for everyone. But I know that it would be worth the risk. But I'm not going to make that decision without you. Now that I have you, I won't let you go. I'm not going to disappear without a word," he added in the same tone of voice.

Zero didn't reply and opted to stay quiet. He closed his eyes and tried to accept the truth of Kaname's words. He knew the risks and he knew about their responsibilities. Both of their lives hung on a thin thread. Him, more than Kaname. He couldn't even tell the pureblood about what transpired between him and Rido. It was just too painful to recall especially how that man had reminded him of Yuuki's death and reminded him of his weaknesses. He also remembered being bitten by that bastard and he knew that because of it, he had little chance of ever killing that man. He shared half of the bond with Rido and even if he was a noble, he was still ranked lower than a pureblood. With those factors into play, even if he didn't want to, direct contact with Rido would allow the man to have control over him.

Not only that, he also shared half of a bond with another pureblood. To another Kuran no less. It was a different matter entirely and a cause of argument between him and Kaname sometimes. The pureblood had always coaxed him to take his blood in order to heal faster and though Zero often relented, he had to concede after much prodding. Kaname had always reminded him that he wanted for the hunter to take his blood if he needed to. When Zero had asked why once, the pureblood only answered in a gentle tone that it was because he loved Zero as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

He tried to forget about the matter with Rido for a while and focused on more simple things like his relationship with Kaname.

_Time, as well as healing some of my wounds, taught me something strange too: that it's possible to love more than one person in a lifetime._ He thought to himself. No matter how much he denied it, he was surely falling in love with the pureblood. He was still in love with Yuuki Cross, who was his first love and who died in his arms all those years ago. She was long gone but his feelings for her never changed. It never crossed his mind that he would fall in love again. But the chairman reminded him that Yuuki would be happy with whatever decisions he made. Zero knew that it was the truth because she was a kind person. That was one of traits he loved about her. She was always there for him and he tried to protect her with everything he had, but in the end, she passed away, leaving him behind to grieve.

Ever since then, he felt as if his heart died along with her. He immersed himself in his work and hoped that it would distract him from feeling the sadness and guilt that weighed him all the time. That was where it started. The feeling of _trying_ not to get too close to anyone else. He didn't know if it was his curse or something that usually ended up with the people closest to him dying. But he didn't want to feel those things again and he came to the conclusion that if he retained his distance, he wouldn't feel the pain of losing someone.

That was until Kaname came and broke all his resistance slowly but surely. He sighed deeply. _I want to believe what you're saying. It won't change anything, but at least I won't feel so weak, so incapable, _he voiced out to the pureblood.

Kaname licked his lips against his nerves and thought about what Zero said to him. This whole encounter had been quite a stretch for him and even if he tried to advance with Zero, he was still quite nervous. Zero didn't discourage him but it didn't help straighten his worries that he might go too far and drive the hunter away. Feeling a bit of bravery at the fact that Zero's eyes were still closed, he leaned forward until his lips hovered over the hunter's. "The battle may come sooner than expected and we'll be forced to take risks or jeopardize our lives," he whispered. "However, that day is not today." He tried to be seductive for that part but unfortunately for his ego, Zero responded in the worst possible way. The hunter's eyes snapped open, his shoulders were shaking and a quivering breath escaped through his nose. It seemed that he was trying not to laugh.

The pureblood pulled back. "What?" he asked, half offended and half pleased at the same time for making Zero laugh.

_Were you being serious?_

"Oh my God," Kaname groaned in a way that was unlike his normal regal and calm self.

_Are you blushing? I haven't seen you blush in a long time._ Zero replied, knowing that Kaname would feel the mirth he was trying to suppress. He reached out and touched the pureblood's hot cheek. Kaname tried to flinch away but he held the pureblood still. _What exactly were you trying to do?_

"I don't know. I was just… I was trying… to… to show you that I'm not…" Kaname stuttered out and he cursed himself deeply. _Oh hell_. His confidence and vocabulary skills failed him yet again and in front of the hunter too. It also didn't help that the hunter in question was pretty amused by this unexpected turn of events.

_Going to disappear._ Zero repeated Kaname's words earlier. He never thought that teasing Kaname would be so much fun, no wonder Kaito always tried to dig at the pureblood.

"Yeah," Kaname muttered lamely as he felt Zero's continued amusement at his expense. It seemed all of the electricity had gone out of the room in his embarrassment.

_I apologize. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings._ Zero said sincerely.

Kaname found it hard to smile or accept the apology. "I'm going to get the nurse." He made a move to get up but Zero's arms wrapped around him and their chests were pinned together once again.

_You're not going anywhere, Kaname. After all, I have you right here where I want you._

"I can't believe you make me feel like an idiot. A complete idiot at this moment," Kaname muttered under his breath. "I'm a pureblood and I seem to be reduced to a stuttering idiot in front of you. What would the others think if they saw me like that?"

_Don't think that way. That was the cutest thing I've seen in a while. You don't have to try with me, Kaname. Seeing you smile when you think no one is looking or sleeping next to you or just being able to touch you… it means a lot to me, you know,_ Zero told him and Kaname was enveloped with that warm feeling. And just like that, the room was buzzing with electricity again. Things were made much easier now that some of Zero's previous anxieties seemed to have settled down for now.

Kaname reveled in the way his heart speeded up just a little and the way his stomach was having butterflies fluttering around. Zero placed a kiss on his hairline. Another on the ear. Another on the nose. The pureblood tilted his head so the hunter was forced to meet his lips. The feeling was warm and satisfying. The heat spreading through his whole body. The hunter's hands move from his back to his waist and continue down until they were running back and forth over his thighs. Their lips never stopped moving and neither do the hunter's hands. Back and forth. Back and forth. Inching forward just a little more each time until the hands stopped right below his hipbone and squeezed. Kaname gasped in surprise, much like he did last night. His hips began to move under the power of Zero's gentle hands. The movement felt natural and exciting, and coupled with the furious way their lips moved, he felt kind of dizzy. Zero responded with a similar gasping sound he'd never heard from the hunter before. Kaname smiled at his small victory. He wanted so much to hear the hunter make that sound again and again.

Zero grasped Kaname's hips a little tighter, but that didn't stop the pureblood from rocking. Something seemed to ignite in the pit of the pureblood's stomach and it made him wonder if the hunter felt the same thing. As he rocked, the fire in his belly was slowly building. He pressed down onto Zero with a little more force, experimenting with the fire. Both of them gasped into each other's mouths. It seemed as if that fire turned into a full blown blaze.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking at the door and Kaname pulled himself backwards at the sound of a woman's voice. "Mister Kiryuu! Time to get up!" The pureblood almost jumped back as if the hunter pushed him away, though Zero hadn't moved. They stared at each other for a moment, in wild confusion, like two people finding themselves suddenly transported to a strange landscape where nothing was familiar.

"He's already awake," Kaname answered back for Zero hurriedly.

"Five minutes then!" the woman said through the locked door.

Zero leaned back against the pillows and ran his hands through his silver hair a few times. His breathing a little fast, but no more than the pureblood's. _She and Lilina would have been the best of friends_, the hunter's voice resonated in Kaname's head. _They both have the worst timing in the world_, he added quietly.

Taking advantage of the hunter's moment of frustration Kaname climbed off of him and the bed to help Zero stand up. The hunter took the pureblood's hand willingly as he sighed deeply, wondering what they had been doing beforehand. It _was_ a good thing the door was locked. He blushed a bit as that realization hit him full force. What would the people think if they saw him and Kaname in that position?

Kaname smirked at the hunter and the expected reaction – the blush across that pale face was something he always yearned to witness. Feeling a bit mischievous, he leaned in and whispered quietly, "Don't forget, we still have a whole day. The association matter could wait." Seeing the blush intensify, Kaname laughed lightly as Zero glared at him.

_Loving someone so madly and helplessly like this… I will never love like this again, _Kaname thought deeply as he held the hunter's hand tightly. Knowing that he was projecting his thoughts through the hunter clearly. _The only one for me is you. It would always be you, Zero._


End file.
